Recovering Paradise
by BloodyDoughnuts
Summary: The aftermath of the conflict between the Backdraft and the Blitz Team is disrupted by two pilots and their Zoids, throwing the battlefields into psychological and emotional mayhem. Lessons will be learned on both sides, but at what cost?
1. Anonymous Terror

             I've been writing fanfics for a while, but that doesn't mean I'm particularly good at it.  This is the first fanfic by.. me.. that is being posted on a website for the world to see.  Be honest, ne?  Just not blatant.  

Warnings:             Please note that chapter 1 may start out slow.  I'm not good with beginnings.  Good.  Now, second – the html business on this site makes formatting difficult.  Bear with me here!  

Disclaimer:           Izumi, Shiro, and the Drache Rebirth are my creations.  Everything else is credited to the creators of New Century Zoids.

**Anonymous Terror**

                "Doc, we have an incoming message from the Fluegel Team.  It's from Leon…"

                "Leon!  Is he sending us a welcome e-mail already?"

                Steve Toros was ecstatic, jumping out of his seat behind Jamie in the cockpit of the Blitz Team's Hovercraft as he leaned forward to grin at the screen.  

                "No, doc."

                The young boy shook his head as he finished reading the e-mail from former Blitz Team member Leon Toros, "It sounds urgent from what I can tell."

                "Well he knows we're only an hour's drive away from their current location!"

                "Doc, you don't get it!  They need our help!  We're the only Zoid team close enough to be of any assistance at all!"

"What do you mean?"

"They were challenged to a battle about half an hour ago… but anyway, according to Leon, they're dealing with a new type of Zoid that he's never seen before, but it's obviously registered because the Judge permitted it to be used in battle against Naomi and him."

                "Wait, you mean they're up against just one fighter?"  

                "That's what it sounds like…  He says it's already taken out Kiyomi, Kazumi, and Naomi's Gunsniper."

                "I'd like to see this for myself…  Jamie, go see if Bit and the others are up yet.  Tell them to get their Zoids ready for battle."

                "Our interference will void this battle, Doc."

                "For the love of God, Jamie, just do it!"

                And just then, the detached head of a red Gunsniper struck their hovercraft as the craft was making its way over a hill that bordered the battlefield, nearly knocking the entire vehicle over onto its side.  

                "I think that should've done it…"

                Leon was desperate now as he tried to lure the enemy Zoid away Naomi's crippled, headless Gunsniper.  In the beginning of this battle, he had been confident that he could easily outrun the massive Zoid with his Blade Liger, but now he wasn't so sure as he turned his head to see the Dreigon gaining fast from behind.  The name "Dreigon" had been unfamiliar to him the first time he heard the Judge announce its name, and he was STILL unfamiliar with this creature and its pilot.  He was almost frightened by thoughts of what might happen to him.  Other pilots he'd battled or seen stopped when a Zoid was disabled, but the Dreigon was only content when it had ripped its opponents to pieces.  It'd torn the red Gunsniper's head clear off by its teeth and then hurled the head miles away with Naomi still inside.  Leon grimaced as he attempted to send the pilot a video-message.

                "What are you doing, you lunatic?!  I already requested to forfeit this match five minutes ago!"

                For a moment, he received no response, and the renegade fighter came up beside him before ramming his Liger into solid rock along the side of a cliff.  Then the Dreigon leapt away to let the Blade Liger slide to a gradual stop on the ground, half of it completely burned away by the friction between its body and the rock wall.  The pilot inside was barely able to stay conscious.  That Zoid was one of the bigger ones he'd seen, but it also looked lightweight, based on his quick scan of its body proportions.  If the Dreigon was so heavy, how could it support its own weight?  Much less travel so quickly on its own.  Its spiked armor probably provided an extra few tons as well.  

                "That was so pathetic…"  

                The pilot of the Dreigon had spoken.  A woman?  The voice was deep, but it was a woman all right.  Leon could tell that much.  She wasn't letting him see her face.

                A set of the Dreigon's grey claws came down over the Blade Liger's head, the tip of one claw actually piercing the glass of the cockpit upon contact.  Those claws were unbelievably sharp!  It must've been treated by some sort of laser.  No wonder…

                No time for speculations, Leon, you're a dead man.

                The pilot's voice came again, and it was much more courteous this time, despite the positions their Zoids were in, "Could you tell me how I might be able to contact the Blitz Team?"

                He couldn't possibly know the answer to _that_.

                "I'll let your Liger stay in one piece if you just tell me."

                The Dreigon wasn't even scratched… after they gave it everything they had!  Even the paint job had stayed the same, retaining its metallic purple and black sheen…  This thing was a beautiful piece of work.  Leon closed his eyes and sighed.

                "Get the hell away from my brother!"  

                Leena?

                An array of missiles and 40 mm bullets were spiraling toward the Zoid on top of his Liger, and when the storm of explosives struck the Dreigon, both it and the Blade Liger disappeared in smoke and dust.

                "Yeah!  Bull's eye!"

                "Uh, Leena…"

                Her teammate's Shadow Fox stepped up beside her blue Gunsniper.

                "I think you hit your brother too."

                "Nuh-uh!  I'm more careful than that!"

                "Look there."

                Leena Toros blinked up and was overcome by a state of shock to see the Dreigon still in one piece, and still standing over her brother's Blade Liger.  

                "I didn't even faze it!"

                "No, but I think you annoyed the shit outta' it."

                The Dreigon turned to face the two Zoids, stepping off of Leon's disabled Liger to plant its four clawed feet firmly into the ground, crouching slightly as the cannon over its back slid forward so it reached past its head and rose a few feet above the Zoid's back.  Before the two Blitz pilots could respond, the cannon was firing multiple shots toward them, yellow beams that came one after another.  It took two to send Leena toppling.  

                "Leena!"

                Jamie's voice rang in her ears as he made connection with her Zoid communication system.  

                "Ow!  What the heck was that?!"  
                "It looked like a particle cannon, but it fired so much faster…  Oh well, at least the Shadow Fox is quick enough to dodge those shots."

                The Shadow Fox _was _quick enough.  It sped across the battlefield, and Dreigon's shots followed it, catching the tip of its tail a few times.  Then, a white lion flew from the dust of the red desert earth, taking advantage of the distracted Dreigon by leaping at it with its left claw glowing a bright yellow as it drew back.

                Once more, the Dreigon's pilot spoke, "Liger Zero!  You are Bit Cloud!" and pulled her Zoid toward the right so that the Liger Zero struck rock instead of her Zoid's jagged armor.  Before the Liger Zero could pull its claw from the cliff side, the Dreigon was upon the lion's throat, sinking its teeth into the white metal as if it were trying to kill a prey.  

                Bit Cloud was in a state of confusion until Leon's face popped up in a small window on his screen, "Bit, fight it!  The pilot and her Zoid won't stop until it's torn _your _Zoid apart by the seams!"

                The blonde could only offer a stiff nod to his former teammate, "Alright, Liger, you heard him…  Let's slay this dragon!"

                "Corny, Bit, corny."

                "Shut up, Brad!  Just give me a hand here!"

                The Shadow Fox had stopped by now, and it turned to face the preoccupied Dreigon before rushing forward in a frontal assault, preparing the vulcan cannon on its back.  

                "Those weaklings are no match for us, Dreigon…"

                The Dreigon released Liger, and then bowed its head to slide its two horns underneath it.  As it lifted its head, it picked the Liger off the ground, and with a swing of its head, it hurled the white lion towards the Shadow Fox, letting out a shrill cry as it watched the two Zoids collide, sending bits and pieces of black and white armor flying in different directions.  

                Jamie was stupefied as he stared at the screen and witnessed the defeat.  At least the battle had already been voided by its Judge…

                "Bit.  Hey, Bit, wake up."

                Bit Cloud, pilot to the Liger Zero.  He was awake now.  And his heard hurt so much he had no idea where he was or how he had ended up here; which wasn't all that true because he knew perfectly well he was in the snail-like Hovercraft of the Blitz Team, and he was in his bed, and he was without clothing, and he hurt all over – and he was wrapped in bandages.

                "Jamie," he groaned, "is that you?"

                "No, Bit.  It's me, Leon."  

                "Leon?  Who's Leon?"

                "I guess you _did _take a pretty hard hit when she threw Liger."

                "That Zoid…  Did we lose?"

                "Technically, yes, but it doesn't count against anyone because the Judge voided our battle when you guys showed up to save our butts.  I already thanked my dad, and now I'm trying to thank you, but you seem a little dazed."

                "Where…?"

                "The Dreigon's gone now, Bit, but the pilot did leave a message for you.  She asked us to pass it on whenever you woke up."

                "I'm awake…"

                Actually, he was barely able to support himself as he sat up off his bed to stare groggily into Leon's bandaged face.  Conscious for less than five minutes and already white linen was becoming a familiar sight.    


	2. Enter, Drache Rebirth

Warnings:             Ah!  I think I'm still getting the hang of this.  I think it gets better somewhere around the middle, though.. honest!  Don't let the beginning sway you.  It's rough around the edges.  X_x     Oh yeah, and chapter 2 is the shortest chapter in the fanfic.  My longest one is 5, I'm thinking.  ^^ 

Disclaimer:           Izumi, Shiro, and the Drache Rebirth are my creations.  Everything else is credited to the creators of New Century Zoids.****

**Enter, Drache Rebirth**

_                It's begun…          _

                The control room seemed unusually crowded as both the Blitz Team and Fluegel Team gathered together, eagerly awaiting Jamie's report.  

                "All I've been able to find out is that the Zoid's full name is Dreigon Rebirth.  It's technical name is actually Drache Rebirth, "drache" meaning "dragon".  I guess "Dreigon" was just easier to pronounce.  At any rate, this Zoid is apparently the only kind of it's Zoid type, type dragon, class 5, and like most Zoids, requires an 2AAA module to function properly.  Go figure, huh?  It's pilot is Hagime Izumi, and this is apparently her first year as a registered competitor in the Zoid battles.  There's not much information on her, though, just the usual bio.  I dug up her approximate age, her blood type, all the basic information every Zoid fighter has to give in order to compete in registered Zoid battles.  Sorry, guys."

                Brad glanced up from his conversation with Naomi, "Do we know what she looks like?"

                "Uh, yeah, just gimme a sec.  I got a picture from the Judges' administration a few minutes ago.  Here."

                Jamie tapped a key on the computer keyboard, and a picture with a side view of a woman sitting in a lounge appeared on the screen, her head tilted slightly as though just noticing the camera that captured this picture.  They all stared at it for a moment, every person in the room, as if they could barely make out the subject of the scanned photograph.  Bit was the first to speak, "So that's a woman?"

                The boy at the computer blinked and turned in his chair to look at the photograph, "Uh, I'm pretty sure."

                But Bit was right.  The woman's gender was well masked by the neutral styling of her hair, black and straight, covering half of her face, concealing her right eye which was covered by an eye patch.  The cloth strap ran across her forehead, wrapping around her head from behind.  From what could be seen, her eyes were a keen, yet deep violet, and the items of clothing she wore were subtly masculine, consisting of a man's dress shirt with leather boots that matched the color and material of her black pants.  

                "Not a very attractive person, _is _she?"

                "You shouldn't really say things like that about people you don't know, Leena…"

                "I know enough.  I know that she managed to kick my ass with just two shots from her particle cannon!"

                "It's actually a combination of a particle beam cannon and rifle.  That's pretty impressive because I never knew mechanics could build two separate weapons into one another to form a whole new item.  I really aught to learn how to do that.  Maybe we could improve our winning streak."

                "Up until a few hours ago, we had the best winning streak there was!"     

                "What're you going to do?  Find her and challenge her to another fight?"

                The conversation was taking a turn for the worst with Leena's temper boiling up to her forehead.  Naomi chuckled from her corner of the room and turned to leave the control room, her right hand reaching back to grasp Brad's wrist.  He followed willingly as she led him into the peaceful night atmosphere that surrounded the Hovercraft.

                "Leena hasn't changed a bit…  None of you have."

                "Did you drag me into the cold just to talk about my teammates, Naomi?"

                "Well, maybe not _just _about your teammates."

                Brad drew a lightly muscled arm around Naomi's waist as his right hand lifted to the side of her head, his thick fingers barely touching her deep red hair.  She smiled at this rare display of affection, letting both of her arms slide around him in a loose hug while nudging forward so that his back would be resting against the side of the Hovercraft. 

                They remained close and gazed at one another, neither uttering a single word.  They were content in that moment, when they were alone, unaware of a shadow that stood on a cliff overlooking what had been a battlefield and what was now a place of blossoming emotions…

_                Tonight, I'm alone.  And that's how I'll always be…_

                "It's there!"

                Jamie lurched forward in his seat as he narrowed his eyes at a radar on the screen, the glowing radius spinning around, searching.  The room was silent now because everyone had already gone to bed with a sense of security, reassured that the berserk Zoid and its pilot would not return in the middle of such a quiet and peaceful night.

                "I just saw it!"

                So Jamie was speaking to himself, delusional and overly enthusiastic.  What a fascinating Zoid.  If only he could've watched it just a little bit longer…

                The next morning, in a pit stop a few miles from the desert battlefield, eager spectators were gathered and gathering for a quick bite to eat or some time to chat with old friends about the latest gossip, or just to have a lonely drink as they watched pilots and their Zoids fighting each other, in teams or on their own, on television screens.  Battles were always complete with a judge and live coverage.  Such places could be found wherever Zoid battling was a popular "sport" or pastime.  Gamblers especially liked these places.  

                Bit Cloud had found a comfortable stool at the bar, where he sat stooped over a plate of chowder, and both Brad and Leon sat with him – Brad to his left, and Leon to his right.  Leon had a glass of orange juice, (he didn't like the idea of drinking anything alcoholic) and Brad went without anything at all – his stomach couldn't tolerate food when it was too early in the morning.  They were silent, so strangers couldn't decide if these three knew each other or just happened to be sitting in a row as two stared up at one of the larger television screens available to customers and the blonde between them ate furiously.  

                The silence between the three was disturbed when Leena Toros came marching into the lounge with her fists clenched at her sides.  When she spoke, her words were forced through clenched teeth, "_There_ you are…"

                Leon blinked up at his sister, "Is there a problem?"

                The pink-haired daughter of Steve Toros seemed perplexed for the longest time as she suddenly straightened, her eyes going wide as she froze in thought, and then replied sheepishly, "Well, no…  It's just that I'm still a little upset…" 

                "From yesterday's loss, you mean?"

                Bit didn't even look up as he spoke, and it seemed that he'd never stopped chewing either.  

                "I think that's what she meant," Brad's voice was as smooth and sterile as it usually appeared to sound, "when we were beaten by the Drache Rebirth and its pilot, over there."  He glanced away from the television to tilt his head towards a woman sitting eight seats down at the bar.  It was a pilot teetering between adulthood and adolescence, the same female pilot that they had seen in the photograph the night before, and she wore the same boots, the same pants, and the same white linen shirt with two cowhide belts looped over her upper body, crisscrossing one another, a seemingly pointless choice of attire.  Now, they saw that the purpose of the oversized belts was to hold her shirt in place while the dress shirt was left wide open along the front, which led down to the unbuttoned (and partially unzipped) black leather pants.  The eye patch seemed even more useless now, as a curtain of hair over where the patch would've been able to cover her eye on its own.  Yet, she didn't seem gaudy in any sort of way – just a bit too black and white.  The color scheme matched the bland expression, if it were an expression at all, over her face as she sat there, carving away at a cup of vanilla ice cream in front of her with a teaspoon, feeding herself so painfully slow that the longer Leena watched, the more irritating the scene became.

                "That's IT!"

                Leena was, once more, furious over absolutely nothing, and as the pilot rose from her seat, she seemed ready to attack the woman on the spot.  Bit acted before her, taking care to quickly wipe his mouth with a napkin before shuffling over to the pilot, "Hiya!"

                No response.

                "Hey, Miss Izumi, my name's Bit Cloud.  I fought you and your Zoid just yesterday and let me tell ya', you're one heck of a Zoid pilot, and your Zoid is some piece of work!  'Course, you probably get that from a lot of people…"

                He offered an awkward grin as he extended a hand to Izumi. 

                _Are you trying to say "hello"?_

She ignored his gesture by turning away from him, also ignoring the puzzled look over his naïve face, "Innocence will kill you, Bit."

                "Of all the rude, inconsiderate bi-!"

                Leena was hysterical; Leon held her back.  Hagime Izumi's reaction was calm, and she moved lethargically to turn her head just to look Leena in the eyes, "Most people… and animals… feel terror because they're sharp enough to understand such a feeling.  So you see, you're not being courageous at all, Miss Toros, only stupid." 

                "Why you-!"

                The introverted figure of the Dreigon's pilot made it as far as the exit this time before she was stopped by Brad, an equally withdrawn character who had remained silent up until now when he stopped her with the mere sound of his voice, or perhaps the demanding tone of it, "The Fluegel Team is still trying to recover because of your inconsiderate actions and your inability to follow traditional Zoid battle rules.  The Blitz Team wants to challenge you to a-"

                Again, Izumi interrupted mid-sentence,"-a duel, correct?  I hope you'll fight with the rest of your team, Brad Hunter, because you can't defeat me with just the Shadow Fox, just as Leena Toros would never stand a chance against me with her Gunsniper, as Jamie Hemeros could never beat me with either of his flying Zoids, and as Bit Cloud could never… ever… defeat Dreigon and I with his Liger Zero, no matter how many modifications are made." 

                This time, no one made any attempt to stop her as she stepped through the door, the edge jingling a plain dinner bell hanging on its frame.  She paused on her own, speaking to the Blitz Team without turning around to face them, "Drache Rebirth got its name from the 'Project Dreigon', in case you were wondering why I called it by 'Dreigon'."

                _Should I tell them the truth of things?  I know I can't keep…_

"Oh man," yawned Bit, as he stepped from his sleeping quarters, still straightening his turtleneck.  He was a little startled to find the tactics room empty except for Dr. Toros, who was sitting on one of the benches while he was hunched over his plastic Zoid models, too busy smashing them into one another and making crude sound effects to notice that Bit was standing right beside him, watching.  It was then that Jamie appeared at the door leading into the control room.  He blinked when he saw Bit before speaking, "Oh, Brad and Leena left to meet the Dreigon already."

                "WHAT?!"  

                "Yeah…  They didn't want to wait for you, so they left, thinking you could catch up in the Liger Zero later.  Er, you might want to outfit Liger with a different weapon system, considering what happened the last time…"

                "Yeah, sure, Jamie."

                _… winning forever.  I'll have to…_

                When Bit Cloud arrived at the scene of the battle, it had already begun, and he was forced to stop when the Judge asked to confirm his identity.  By the time he was through with the Judge, Leena's heavily modified Gunsniper came flying by, smashing into a mass of trees belonging to the forest bordering the battlefield.  When the smoke cleared, Bit could see that the blue Zoid had already lost its right leg and a good portion of its tail – oh, wait – and the tail came flying through the air, smacking the orange armor on Liger's head.  It was then Leena's face appeared on his monitor, "You picked the _Schneider _weapon system for this battle?!  Why couldn't you pick something faster?!  The Drache Rebirth'll tear you to pieces!"

                "We'll see about that…  See you later, Leena!"

                The Liger Schneider shook itself like a wet dog before taking off in the direction of gunfire and major explosions, where he was expecting to find the Dreigon and Shadow Fox snapping at each other's throats, or not, but he didn't want to fight this opponent alone, because for once, Bit Cloud was feeling unsure of himself.  

_Don't you believe in love at first sight?_

"Damn it, why is it so hard for me to actually hit that thing?"

                Frustration wracked Brad's mind as he guided the Shadow Fox in a series of sharp turns, quick dodges, and high jumps, while he was jerked around inside the cockpit despite the seat belt holding him in place.  A yellow beam struck the ground beneath him, and his Zoid was sent tumbling into a fresh ditch.

                "That's it!"

                Seconds later, the Shadow Fox was bounding up the wall of the crater-like hole, returning to the surface to face the Dreigon, showering the Zoid with 70 mm shots, firing rapidly from the Electromagnetic Net Cannon set upon his Zoid's back, the fox's feet digging into the dirt to resist the slight recoil of its weapon.  It stopped only when Brad could no longer see through the cloud of dust and smoke his shots created, but he was confident that he had won.  He couldn't have missed that monstrous thing, but then, why didn't it dodge?  He'd seen it move and it could move pretty damn fast…

                "I'm here…"

                The Shadow Fox whirled around, crouched as its head jerked up in time to see the Dreigon coming down on it from above, giving no time for reaction as it rammed its alloy claws through the fox's shoulders, removing both its forelegs.  The dragon leapt away and tilted its head as if admiring its work before lifting its head to roar.  

                "I had hoped Bit Cloud would appear."  

                Brad cursed her from his cockpit.

                _Then why do you fight with such passion in your eyes?_

"Hey, Izumi!"

                Izumi turned her head and then coaxed her Zoid to turn as well so they could both see the Liger Schneider perched on a hill, returning the Dreigon's cry with one of its own.

                "Hmm?  Look, Dreigon.  Our judgment stands there."

     


	3. Enter, le Lapin Blanc

Warnings:             It's getting there, I think.  Keep reading, please.  I already have the whole thing mapped out.  I just need to proofread it on my own (heaven forbid) because Ian dearest is in Louisiana.  Ack!  He needs to come back so he can help me! 

Disclaimer:           Izumi, Shiro, and the Drache Rebirth are my creations.. blah blah blah….  Everything else is credited to the creators of New Century Zoids.****

**Enter, le Lapin Blanc**

                The Liger Schneider stampeded its way down the hill it had been standing upon, leaping forward after only a few steps. 

                "Liger, use Strike Laser Claw!"

                A familiar glow consumed the Liger's forefeet as it drew one claw back, bringing the claw down when it was right about to pass over the Dreigon.  

                "Idiot…"

                The Dreigon reared onto its hind legs, bringing its head up so the two horns mounted on its snout pierced Liger's stomach, allowing it to drag the lion-Zoid through the air with casual tosses of its head.  The Dreigon's head then lowered to the ground and the Zoid broke into a run, shoving its opponent against the soil as its snout remained burrowed against its opponent's underside.  When Liger was finally stopped by a sudden upheaval in the terrain, it brought its claws down across the Dreigon's shoulders, beating repeatedly and desperately as it tried to break free of the Dreigon's hold.

                _Do you seek to become stronger?_

"Let go!  Keep fighting it, Liger!  We can beat it!"

                The lion complied and places the bottom of each foot against the Zoid pinning it down and pushed against an opponent larger and heavier than itself.  Its joints were creaking as he strained to move the opposing pressure.  The Dreigon slid back a couple of inches.

                _If you want strength…_

"That's it, Liger…"

                The Dreigon was pushed back even further as a low rumbling emerged from Liger's throat, like a growl, as if it understood everything its pilot was saying and it wanted to oblige.  

                _… I'll give it to you._

Liger Schneider.  Specialty: close combat.  Its legs gave slightly, bending, allowing the Dreigon to gain a bit more ground before it shoved all four claws forward again, pushing against the Dreigon with a sudden boost of energy.  

                _Just fight me!_

"What?!  Dreigon, no!"

                The massive Zoid was tossed back by the Liger's strength, allowing the white lion enough time to roll onto its feet again.  As the Dreigon was recovering, it failed to notice two blue blades emerging from the sides of the Liger Schneider's neck.  While it was rising off the ground, the Liger was charging toward it, and when it lifted its head, the Liger was lunging, swinging its head to one side so one of the blades cut into the Dreigon's hind quarters.  The dragon's recovery was much quicker this time, "Good job, Bit Cloud.  If I didn't dodge like that, you would've knocked me and my Zoid out of the battle."

                "Well, that was the point."

                He smiled, and the awkwardness was still there.

                "However, I won't let that happen again."

                The Drache Rebirth was silent now, say for the quaking it caused when it stomped against the ground, planting its four feet firmly against the green earth.  It crouched on its forelegs as the cannon over its back slid forward as it had in the last battle, humming softly while a faint yellow glow formed at the mouth of the cannon, between the four razor blades that pointed forward as if to direct the blast after it finished building.  

                "Liger, run!"

                Panic.

                There was a loud sonic boom, but when Bit regained his senses he was still there, and his Zoid was in one piece.  Both pilot and Zoid lifted their heads to see the Drache Rebirth tumbling through the air, falling to the ground with a portion of its armored waist caved in.  To its right (and their right) was a white Zoid, a Genosaurer.  Genosaurer?  He'd never seen a white one before…  

                This one was white, and in some areas, it was streaked with grey.  As the Dreigon was crawling to its feet, it was consumed by a burst of flames that, as Bit turned his head to notice, came from the Genosaurer's open mouth.  

                "Hey!  What the heck is going on!?"

                As the Liger moved to intercept the white Zoid, one of the blue blades jutting from its neck was suddenly torn off, a yellow Saber Tiger in its place.  Another Saber appeared at Liger's other blade, ripping that off with its teeth, and a third came down upon the orange Liger from above, pinning the lion down with its weight.

                "What the heck is this?!"

                "Run, Bit Cloud…"

                "What?  Izumi, you're still there?  You're okay, then?"  
                "Run, Bit Cloud.  Run from this battle.  You can't win it now.  Run and survive so that I… I may be the one to destroy you…!"

                "But the Drache Rebirth…  It can't move anymore!"

                "I know.  I'll accept the consequences of my defeat, Bit Cloud, but leave this place before she notices you!"

                _The truth…_

"I…"

Bit's teeth were clenched and bared, his gloves groaning in protest as he tightened his grip on the controls in front of him.

"I can't do that, Miss Izumi…"

                The Liger suddenly leapt forward, tearing itself away from the Sabers that had been chewing away at its sides while throwing the third off of its back as it jumped into the air in front of it and then charged blindly toward the Dreigon as it lay immobilized in the center of the battlefield, awaiting the white Genosaurer as it approached the black dragon.  

                _You are the Lapin Blanc…?_

"Stay away from her!"

                As Izumi's eyes slowly began to close, she could barely witness the Liger Schneider leaping between her Zoid and the white Genosaurer, warning the intruder with a snarl before lunging at its throat.  

                _Bit Cloud…_

The Genosaurer ducked away and struck the Liger with its tail.  The idiot, why wouldn't he just run now?  While he was still capable of escaping…  
  


                _… don't protect your enemies.  _

"Strike Laser Claw!"

                The light shining down on her was almost blinding even while her eyes were closed.  When she opened them, she found herself in a most unfamiliar bed, in a room that was equally as alien.  What the hell?

                "Oh, you're awake."

                "You're…"

                "Jamie.  My name's Jamie…  Sorry the rest of our team isn't here to welcome you onboard, but… they're all pretty bitter, except for the doc, that is.  He's busy drooling over your Zoid…  We haven't fixed it up or anything 'cause it's not letting anyone get within ten feet of it…  It's like the Liger, you know, 'cept the Liger's a little more approachable."

                The dark-haired boy offered a smile, but Izumi could see the uneasiness behind his friendly expression.  She looked away from him to see a tray on a desk serving as a nightstand beside her bed, and on the tray was a bowl of tofu broth with seaweed.  Her stomach seemed to growl at the sight of the food, and when she tried to sit up, pain shot through her body, running up her spine and neck to the back of her head, and her arms couldn't support her very long before giving out, and her head was back on the pillow.  Jamie blinked at this, and watched as she pushed herself back up, using the wall which her bed was placed against as support, and she remained in a seated position this time, her back against the wall.  She blinked, too, when she saw Jamie picking up the bowl and chopsticks.  He picked up a cube of tofu with the chopsticks between his fingers and lifted it to Izumi, offering it to her by holding the tofu an inch from her mouth.  She stared at the food for a moment before slowly letting her mouth open, allowing the boy to slip the morsel in between her teeth.  

                _Jamie Hemeros…_    

                "I'll get you some fresh bandages later…"

                "…Sure."

_… you are remarkable._

                "That should do it.  Wow, you just used up an entire roll."

                Izumi gave Jamie a subtle nod and turned slightly to stare out the window, looking out into the night through the blinds.  Jamie sighed at this and tried to smile again, "Er, I have to go get more bandages... and some warm water for your wounds.  They're actually still bleeding… a little."

                He left, knowing she wouldn't answer that.  She was too preoccupied with the marionette of a man and woman, young warriors and aspiring Zoid fighters.  The scene mesmerized her, as she watched Brad Hunter and Naomi Fluegel hold one another and share the stars with each other.  What a curious display…

                _Brad Hunter…_

                "I did some research on what Izumi referred to as 'Project Dreigon'.  I don't know who was involved, exactly, but it's safe to assume that these were some pretty ingenious scientists, the people who developed such a Zoid as the Drache Rebirth…"

                Brad leaned forward to stare at the information listed on the screen beside a rotating, computer-rendered image of the dragon-Zoid.

                "Uh, here, Brad."

                "What?"

                He looked down at Jamie, who handed him a fresh roll of bandages, "There should still be a towel and bowl of warm water on that desk.  Leena got as far as doing that before she freaked out and had to step out of the room before she lost her temper and started beating up on the injured pilot."  
                "You mean the Dreigon's pilot?  I don't think so…"  
                "Come on, Bit's asleep, and I don't want to ask the Fluegal Team to do us any favors."  
                "Ask Leon."

                "Leon's catching up with his dad.  Brad, grow up!"

                _… Brad Hunter._

He paused outside the door, taking a moment to hold his grumbles and curses before stepping into the room as the door slid open to let him in.  He stopped again to tilt his head at the woman sitting in the bed across the room while she stared outside.

"Hey, you, I've got some clean bandages for you."  

"Where's the kid?"

"Jamie's busy."

"So were you, a few moments ago… with that Fluegel girl."

                "Naomi."

                "Whatever.  It's not like her name should matter to me."

                She turned to look at him, and he was forced to take in a quick, subtle breath of air, his brows furrowing in an odd manner as, for the first time, he could get a good look at her.  He was still then, because for a moment, the enemy was beautiful.

                _Brad Hunter, do you believe in love at first sight?_

                __


	4. Emotional Dilemmas

Warning:                No more warnings.  I'm gonna stop putting my stories down.  It's not healthy.

Disclaimer: Izumi, Shiro, and the Drache Rebirth are my creations. Everything else is credited to the creators of New Century Zoids.

**Emotional Dilemmas**

                Stigma Stoller stood in the main control room of the Whale King as it swam its way through the clear blue sky above planet Zi.  He had his hands on one of the panels while he stared into the monitors and screens, occasionally lifting his head to gaze at the other operatives or through the glass windows, the creases in his face standing out more than they would normally as he stressed and worried, a bead of sweat slipping through his short, grey hair, down his face.  When one of the men piloting the Whale King spoke, he was startled by the sudden sound of the pilot's voice, "Captain Stoller, sir, the Lapin Blanc has returned.  Two of our Storm Sworders are bringing it into the hanger."  

                Stoller replied with a hoarse voice, "Thanks, pilot.  I'll be in the hangers if anyone needs me."

                With that, the man was out of the room, making his way to the hangers with an unusually hasty stride.  He stopped at a heavy, steel door marked "03", where he was required to give verification that came in the form of an ID code.  When his identity was confirmed, the door slid open for him, and he stepped through onto a catwalk.  He took a moment to scan each Zoid in the hanger, leaning forward against a railing that went up to his waist.  Ah, the white Genosaurer.  Stoller rushed to the end of the catwalk where an elevator waited to take him down, and as soon as it touched down with the floor, he was in a hurry again, running to the white Zoid as its pilot was emerging from its cockpit.  She landed on one foot, a woman with pale, milky skin, and narrow green eyes that could barely be concealed by frameless spectacles.  Overall, she appeared to be an intelligent looking character, her femininity made obvious by the tightness of her black bodysuit, one that carefully outlined each curve of her female form.  She glanced up at Stoller as he approached, her head bobbing slightly so that the silver bangs of her hair swayed in front of her face.  The actual length of her hair was wrapped into a bundle over her head, letting only one rivulet fall over her back, giving the general idea of how long the other strands might be, "Ah, Stoller!"

                Her voice presented some enthusiasm.

                "Shiro, you're safe…"

                "Well, of course, but I came back empty handed.  I must apologize."  

                "That's quite alright, Lieutenant, just glad to have you back in one piece."  
                Stoller offered her a black lieutenant's uniform – the coat, anyway.  She took it and pulled it over her shoulders, tugging at the three gems on each sleeve.  She usually never wore a complete uniform, but only the coat so soldiers would recognize her by rank because Shiro spent most of her time in research laboratories with scientists.  Most found this behavior unfit for a lieutenant, but Shiro had never actually failed to please the officials that monitored them from higher ranks and high places, so no one bothers trying to change the way she conducts her business.  Another factor was her relationship with Captain Stigma Stoller.  Others knew the two were well acquainted (and there were rumors stating that they were much more than friends), and if people didn't respect the female lieutenant, they usually respected her captain-friend, and thus, had to give Shiro her space.

                "Thanks, but sometimes, I swear you're being too easy on me."

                "What… makes you say something like that?"

                "The way that you paused in that last sentence."

                "Uh…"

                "Forget about it.  I shouldn't be picking on my superiors like that.  Not in public, anyway." 

                She almost laughed at the bewildered expression over Stoller's face, and quickly ended the teasing by leaning forward so she could reach his face and kiss his left cheek, letting the touch of her lips against his face linger long enough for him to turn a soft red.

                "I'll get the Drache Rebirth for you, captain…  Just you wait."

                _White rabbit, white rabbit…_

"Quit bullshitting us!"

                The entire table creaked under Leena's fists.  Izumi didn't even open her eyes, "You think I'm lying?  I really have no idea what the hell's going on.  Dreigon's my Zoid and I'm its pilot."

                "Then what's this about a 'Project Dreigon'?  Jamie said it has something to do with the Backdraft!  That means your Zoid is a part of their organization!"

                "Listen, I'm not a part of the Backdraft Organization.  I left them a long time ago so I could officially battle Bit Cloud in a Zoid match.  Why else would the Lapin Blanc attack me?  You think they would attack their own pilots?"

                "She's right, Leena, you have to admit…"

A smack to the nose shut Bit up just as Jamie was ready to speak, "Lapin Blanc?  That translates to 'white rabbit', doesn't it?"  
                Izumi's lips twitched in a smirk, "You're pretty smart, kid.  That's the name of the white Genosaurer, also used when people refer to its pilot.  She's quite skilled, you know.  She actually makes most of the modification plans for Zoids belonging to the organization."

"She?"

"Yes.  Sorry, don't know her full name.  I'm not sure anyone does, really…  I've only heard people 

refer to her as 'Shiro'.  I suspect that's just an alias."

                "What about your name?"

                Izumi opened her eyes to glance at the boy sitting beside her bed, her arms unfolded to rest at her sides.  Then she looked to the others in the room; Naomi Fluegel, Bit Cloud, Doctor Steven Toros, Leena Toros, Leon Toros, Brad Hunter and the youngest, Jamie Hemeros.  She looked back to Jamie when she answered as if she were speaking only for him, "It's my name because it's the only one I remember having.  I don't know what name I was born with, but the one I have now is perfectly legal, and I'm comfortable with it."

                _What's in a name?  Even nobodies have names._

"Dreigon, I've accepted their hospitality."

                The dragon was silent as it slowly lowered its head, nudging its pilot with the tip of its charred nose.  Izumi reached up to touch the burnt metal with both her bandaged hands, and the Zoid drew back slightly while tilting its head against her hands, eyeing the bandages over her, as if just taking note of their presence, the way they wound about her like linen chains.  It growled.

                "We'll get the White Rabbit next time, old friend."

                It growled again.

                "So you just talk to that thing all day?  Is that your secret?"

                Izumi turned, and the Dreigon lifted its head to see Brad standing at the entrance of the hanger, leaning against the frame of the large doorway that let in a chilling breeze.

                "Cold, isn't it?"

                "It's the desert, Brad Hunter, and it's night."  
                "Just call me 'Brad', okay?"

                "Does calling you by your full name irritate you, Brad Hunter?"  
                "Slightly.  I'm not used to it."  
                "Okay."

                The woman turned away, her attentions returning to her Zoid, "Let's fix you up before the morning comes…  I'm sorry I couldn't help you earlier."

                The Zoid was still staring at Brad as the young mercenary ran a hand through his auburn hair, closing his eyes for a quick moment to avoid returning the metallic monster's glare.  

                "Don't you have anything better to do than to upset Dreigon?  Where's that Fluegel woman?"

                "We're not on the same team, mind you.  She does have her own business she needs to attend to."

                "Whatever…  Come on, Dreigon."

                Izumi climbed onto the nose of her Zoid and walked up its forehead to its back, taking a moment to survey the damages before sliding down its back and heading for a pile of scrap metal where an orange toolbox sat.  Brad stayed where he was, watching her as she scrambled from corner to corner, searching for parts that might be of use to her while she prepared to repair her battle-worn Zoid.  

                "Need help?"

                "No."

                He smirked when he saw her drop to the floor in pain, her hands clutching at her sides from the sudden aching, no doubt the result of lifting such heavy objects while still recovering from her last battle, "Sure you don't need any assistance?"

                "Shut the hell up and pick this up for me."

                "Alright."

                _Let's just be friends…?_

"You clumsy idiot!"

                "At least this is going a lot faster now that I'm helping you out."

                Brad Hunter hadn't laughed in quite a while, and he wasn't about to start now, but Izumi's frustrations did coax appreciative chuckling from the Zoid mercenary.  It felt good…

                "Brad, pay attention!"

                "What?  Oh shit!"

                He was brought back to reality with the sound of her voice, and he found himself taken by surprise as he realized he was still perched on the Dreigon's backside with Izumi standing below, holding the open toolbox for him.  The Zoid suddenly reared onto its hind legs, screeching into the empty hanger.  In the next moment, Brad was losing his footing and tumbling from the dragon's armored back, "Shit!"

                "Hey!  Quit fooling around and – Brad!"

                Both mercenaries seemed to close their eyes at the same time, just as they collided with one another, one knocking the other to the cold floor.  When they opened their eyes, they became stupefied and could only stare at into each other's faces because they were so unbearably close then, with Brad's weight pinning Izumi to the floor.  All they could really do was… stare?

                Perfect timing placed Bit Cloud in the hanger while the two were still stuck to the floor in their precarious situation (and positioning).  They both turned their heads when the lights flickered on to see Bit standing at the door, rubbing his eyes with a fist while his mouth was open in a yawn, "Hey, why're you two up so… late?"

                He blinked and was suddenly quite awake. 

                "Wh-What's going on here??"

                "Bit, it's not what you think!"

                "Uh, no, it's okay, Brad, really, I just… never saw a thing!  I'm sorry!!  Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Brad!  Uh, Miss Izumi!"

                Both Brad and Izumi were screaming, "Bit!"

                _This is rather… fun.  _

     


	5. Everything Burns

Disclaimer: Izumi, Shiro, and the Drache Rebirth are my creations. Everything else is credited to the creators of New Century Zoids.  

I'm pretty horrible with proofreading anything I wrote…  Read on, anyway.  Please?  ^^;  … ah, thank you.  Inform me if you catch any mistakes.  Thank you. 

**Everything Burns**

                "Uh, hey, Brad… uhm, sleep well?"  
                "Shut up, Bit…"

                Jamie glanced at the two from the kitchen, "I guess when he wakes up earlier than usual, Brad's grumpier than usual…"

                "Good morning, Jamie Hemeros." 

                The boy turned abruptly, jumping slightly as he noticed Izumi walking in through another door.  She paused when he offered her a cup of coffee, taking it in both bandaged hands, "Thanks."

                "I'm glad you're feeling better…"

                "Thanks to your team.  I feel that accepting help from… you, however, is a little inappropriate on my part."

                "Don't worry about it!"

                Both turned at the same time to face the dining room door where Doctor Toros was standing, "You can make it up to us by letting us hire you!"

                "What do you mean?  Why would you hire me after I did all that damage to your Zoids?"

                "Because _your _Zoid has caught my attention, and I _must _have a chance to study it while it's in combat!  I just… assumed you were a mercenary.  Only mercenaries would fight alone…"

                "I guess…"

                "Great, then it's a deal!  We'll pay you the same amount we're paying Brad right now, and I think you'll be pleased with the amount!"

                The doctor didn't even wait for her to respond before leaving the kitchen, whistling happily to himself as he left Izumi and Jamie staring after him.  Brad and Bit were also watching him leave.  

                "Uh, Brad…  Did the doc just…"

                "Looks like we've got ourselves another warrior."  

                Doctor Toros popped up only half a second after leaving, grinning as always, "Oh, by the way, last night after you had all gone to bed, the Judge Administration informed me that our next opponents had been chosen.  It's the Behemoth Team, and I heard they were a pretty tough team so everybody, get ready!  They'll have four fighters on their team so we could use the extra hand, Izumi.  The battle is due in thirty minutes!"

                Bit almost fell out of his seat, "So that's why he invited her to join…"

                Izumi stepped from the kitchen, pausing to look from Brad to Bit, "I look forward to working with you.  Who's going to break the news to that girl?"

                Both men lifted their heads to cast meaningful glances toward Jamie.

                "Oh no, _I'm _not telling Leena!"

                One by one, Zoids were launched from the Hovercraft, and they landed side by side in a neat row, starting with Leena's Gunsniper, Brad and his Shadow Fox, Bit and Liger Zero Schneider with its orange weapon system rather than its usual white armor, and Dreigon at the very end.  They stood still as all four pilots took a moment to scan the battlefield, searching for their enemy.  Liger turned its head toward the Dreigon just as Jamie sent a transmission to each pilot's cockpit, "The Behemoth Team has two Iron Kong PKs, a Heldigunner, and a Dark Horn.  The Kongs are what we're most worried about, and I think that the Liger and Dreigon might be the only two strong enough to take care of those Zoids.  Brad, Leena, I'd appreciate it if the two of you handled the Heldigunner and Dark Horn…"

                "I see where they got their name…"

                "Hmm?  Did you say something, Izumi?"

                "The Behemoth Team.  The term 'behemoth' is often used to describe something very large, and the team we're facing off against seems to consist only of large and cumbersome Zoids.  We shouldn't have much trouble even if we can't take them close-range.  All of the Blitz Team's Zoids, including my Dreigon, are designed to travel at high speeds and are also equipped with long range weapons which might be able to make up for the Zoid's inability to hold out when going head to head."  

                "Uh, that's… right."

                Leena interrupted, "Shut up with all the technical crap and let's get this show on the road!"

                All conversation ceased and the four Zoids broke into a run, stampeding across the tall grass that covered the fresh battlefield.  Missiles and ammunition from automatic weapons rained down almost immediately, breaking their formation.

                Liger and Dreigon tore forward as the Shadow Fox and Gunsniper ran in opposite directions to divert the gunfire.  The lion and dragon were side by side as they ran toward the gunfire, and eventually, two black Zoids came into view: the Heldigunner and Dark Horn.  They paused to face the oncoming Zoids, the vulcan cannons mounted over their backs taking aim before opening fire.  Much to their surprise, or at least to the pilots inside the cockpits, the Liger and Dreigon were able to leap out of range, their movements completely in sync as they jumped to the sides and then over the two black Zoids, so high that the two lumbering reptilian Zoids were unable to stop them.  

                "The Kongs should be right up ahead, waiting."

                "Nothing they do will matter because we'll destroy them before they're even aware of us…"  
                "That's not a very healthy mentality, Izumi."  
                "Shut up and fight, Bit Cloud."

                "Shiro!"

                Stoller was in another desperate state of mind, "Shiro!  Lieutenant, you're in no condition to leave so soon!  You can't fight the Dreigon or the Liger like this… Do you not remember how your last encounter with the Blitz Team went?"

                He had to raise his voice in order to be heard above the roar of the engines that penetrated the walls of the carrier through an open doorway in the hanger that exposed the open sky, ready to deploy the white Genosaurer.  

                "Captain, please don't try any of your 'reasoning'.  You don't know what it is I'm after, so don't try to stop me…"

                Shiro tossed her coat to him as she climbed into the Lapin Blanc's cockpit.  As the glass began to close, Stoller's hand shot up to stop the lid, his other arm hugging onto the pilot's seat to keep himself steady as he boots were planted firmly over a rickety ladder of rope that had allowed Shiro into the Genosaurer.  

                "Captain Stoller, control yourself!"

                "I'm in complete control, lieutenant, believe me."

                 Neither was aware of the mechanics and operatives shouting at them from other corners of the hanger.  They were unaware of the roaring suction of air, everything that surrounded them – this lasted for an eternal minute before Shiro's hand reached down to trace a finger over a crease along Stoller's face – proof of his aging, "Quit being so protective.  We're soldiers, you know."  She smiled, "Besides, I'm just doing the dirty work, like always…  No sweat, captain.  It's all a hush-hush deal, you understand."

                She leaned forward, using the touch of her finger to draw Stoller in.  Her head tilted slightly, her lips closing in on Stoller's, stopping as Stoller closed his eyes to accept the kiss – only, the kiss was never felt, and when he opened his eyes, she had already pulled back and reclined against the back rest of her seat in the cockpit.  Shiro offered a wink instead as she pushed him from her Zoid, closing the lid of the cockpit before she could see Stoller land at the Genosaurer's feet.

                "Shiro!"  

                The white Zoid turned away and leapt from the hanger, falling toward the planet below.  

                "Frankie, help me!"

                "No one is going to help you now!"

                Leena broke into a paroxysm of mad cackling as she unleashed a barrage of ammunition from every cannon on her heavily modified Zoid, clouding the area with dust, and when the dust cloud cleared, the remains of a Heldigunner Zoid were lying before her Gunsniper, silent for two seconds before it was consumed by an explosion.

                "Hah!  What a loser!"

                Brad's black Shadow Fox ran to the Gunsniper's side, tilting its head as its pilot sent a video-message to Leena, "Two down.  I took care of their Dark Horn, so now all that are left… are those two Iron Kongs."

                "Unless Bit and that new guy took care of them already…"  
                "'Guy'?  Do I sense bitterness?"

                The Gunsniper leapt off without a response, leaving Brad to catch up.  Before he could do so, however, Leena's Gunsniper was already rushing back, Leena screaming from the cockpit, "Brad!  Ru-un!"

                "Brad!"

                It wasn't Leena's voice, but Izumi's, as her Zoid leapt from a cliff overhead, ramming into the Shadow Fox and knocking it aside before whirling around in time to see an Iron Kong hurling toward them, dropping from the sky as if the sky were raining Zoids (of course, it was only thrown up there).  The Dreigon crouched on its forelegs before lunging into the air to meet the oncoming Zoid, snapping its jaws over one of its arms to toss it off course so it landed where there was nothing but empty land, no other warriors that might be crushed by the massive gorilla-Zoid.

                This time, Brad was the one crying out, his voice ringing through the Dreigon's cockpit in unison with Bit's as both pilots sent a message to Izumi at the same time, yelling out a warning, "Izumi!"

                The lady-mercenary turned as she caught sight of the second Kong Zoid – it was flying straight at her, having been flung into the air by Bit's Liger.  The Zoid struck the Dreigon in the head, and for a moment, the other three pilots were held in shock (or suspense), convinced that the impact of the blow would've crushed the Dreigon's cockpit along with the pilot.

                "Bit, you idiot!  You killed her!"

                The Dreigon plummeted.

                "What do _you_ care, Leena!?"  
                Before the black dragon could crash into the earth, and before Leena and Bit could continue their argument, the motionless Shadow Fox disappeared in a burst of flames that seemed to be coming from the ground beneath it.  Slowly, the culprit revealed itself to be a purple Genosaurer buried beneath the surface soil as it rose slowly, then springing up at the last second to toss the charred fox away.  Two other Zoids of the same type and color emerged from the earth as well, rushing to attack the Gunsniper that was now defenseless without its ammunition.  They seemed to be completely ignoring the Liger until one last Genosaurer came to the surface, painted red this time.  It turned to face the Liger, and Bit blinked in realization, "You're that lady from the Fuuma Team!"

                "Correct, Bit Cloud…  I always said I would return to pay you back for humiliating the Fuuma Team the way you did…"

                "Not so fast, Miss Fuuma…"

                "What?!"  
                A shadow loomed over the red Genosaurer before the Dreigon came crashing down toward it, but just before it could land, one of the purple Zoids had leapt forward to tackle the Dreigon away with its weight.  As the Dreigon skidded to a stop against the grass, the three Genosaurers left their prey to take advantage of the Dreigon's temporary moment of vulnerability.  They leapt at it and soon, had their heads buried in the metal like a flock of hungry vultures ravaging a carcass.  

                "Izumi!"

                The Liger ran toward them, only to be intercepted by the red Genosaurer, "Your opponent is me, Bit Cloud…"

                Bit almost choked as he glanced around him to see the Shadow Fox lying on its side a few yards away, and the Gunsniper still flailing pathetically like a fish out of water.  Then there was the Dreigon, now underneath the three Genosaurers that were tearing it apart.  Oh God, he was starting to feel sick…

                Suddenly, a purple Genosaurer flying over their Zoids distracted both him and the Fuuma Team's leader.  Its pilot was screaming as a plasma beam turned it into a flaming comet rather than pilot and Zoid.  As the two Zoids turned their heads, they saw the remaining two purple Genosaurers fleeing from the Dreigon, which was now on its four feet, its head bowed forward slightly as if it needed to breathe.  The pilot inside the cracked cockpit was panting, but she seemed to be handling her Zoid just fine…

                The Dreigon ran after one of the fleeing Genosaurers to catch it by its tail, dragging it off its feet before pouncing on top of the smaller Zoid, sinking its teeth into its cockpit, killing the pilot and rendering the Zoid useless.  

                "Izumi?"

                There was no response as the Dreigon tore forward, lunging for the red Genosaur with a thundering roar, and the pilot inside screamed, "I'll kill you!"

                The red Zoid stumbled back, and its pilot was screaming as well, "Get away from me!  You monster!"

                "Izumi!" 

                The Liger rushed forward to pin the Dreigon down with its weight, which was difficult considering the Drache weighed nearly two times more than the Liger, "Don't!"

                "She's… She's getting away!  Bit, you fool, let go of me!"

                Sure enough, the red Genosaurer was running from the battlefield, galloping on its hind legs, looking straightforward and never looking back even once.

                Izumi screamed again, teeming with violent frustration.

                The nameless pilot was panting as she slid from the cockpit of her red Genosaurer, "What was that monster…"

                "It is the Drache Rebirth, of course…  But I'm not expecting you to know anything about that."

                The woman jumped as she saw a white Genosaurer approach.  Its pilot was riding on its head, so there was no one at the controls and yet it continued to move, "Lapin, stop."

                The Genosaurer stopped and allowed Shiro to hop down.  Shiro…  Like herself, a woman with no origins, "What are you doing here, lieutenant?"

"You look frightened.  Did something go wrong?"  
"What?  N-No!"

                "Liar…"  

                Shiro smiled, and pulled her hand from behind her back, revealing the 9mm in the tight grip of her fingers, her smile widening when she saw the bewildered look over the other pilot's face, "The organization is tired of this, you know.  You're just one failure after another, and so, you've worn out your usefulness."

                She raised the gun, her finger tightening around the trigger as the handgun clicked.

                "No, don't!"

                "Oh my, please don't start begging… That would be embarrassing."

                She squeezed the trigger, her arm lifting about twenty degrees from recoil.  She didn't mind it.  The wet thud of a body losing its soul was always music to her ears.  The blood was a feast for her hungry eyes…

                Shiro turned away then, climbing back up her Zoid and into the open cockpit that awaited her.  She shoved the gun under her seat and leaned forward to tap a red square button that triggered the white Genosaurer to open its mouth, revealing the flamethrower between its teeth.  The barrel ignited before a stream of fire burst forth, forming a sweltering curtain around the woman's dying body and the red Zoid that would've been the only witness to this just crime – aside from the Lapin Blanc.  The evidence was gone…

                "Everything burns…"  
  
  


	6. Taking A Time Out

Disclaimer(s):  blah blah, Shiro and Izumi [ and her Zoid ] are my original creations.  Steal them and die an early death – so leave them alone!  The other junk [ and I mean that in the most respectful way ] in here is credited to the creators of New Century Zoids.  [ I really miss that show.  Yes, I found out it **is** back on CN, but… I'm not home from school yet.. during the time that it's on, so boo hoo.  x_x ] 

**Taking A Time Out**

                When Shiro decided to return to the base, it was already well past midnight, and by the time she arrived, only the guards assigned with night patrol were awake, and even they were almost too drowsy to open the hanger for her Genosaurer.  She couldn't blame them for being so exhausted all the time.  The Backdraft military base was located in an inconvenient crevice along the inner facets of a wintry range of mountains.  Here, nearly every day of the year was a cold winter wonderland.  Since the organization wiped out its major competitors (or enemies) more than six years ago, security and paranoia have receded, but abandoning such cleverly hidden bases would have been a waste of money.  

                The Lapin Blanc marched into the hanger, ignoring the heady thud of the metal door closing behind it as it walked to an empty area marked off by white lines on the metallic floor.  There was a number there, and under it, the letters "W.R.".  The Zoid stepped within the lines and opened its cockpit, allowing Shiro to hop from her seat.  The hanger was silent and dark, so until Shiro could find the switch box she relied on a blue flashlight she always had around her wrist by a black string.  It was a crude replacement for the blinding lamps hanging overhead, like those of a warehouse.  Tasteless.  

                She turned 360 degrees to scan the area, shining her flashlight at surrounding Zoids before spotting a flight of stairs and a door at the very top.  She began making her way there, stretching with her free hand.  No one else was around.  There were no pilots, no mechanics – not even Stigma?

                "Shiro…"

                The door at the top of the stairway was open, and Stoller stood in the doorway, his form outlined by the dim lights of the hallway behind him, "You're back rather late…"

                "Or early, depending on how you wanna look at things."

                "Don't be a smart ass, lieutenant."  
                Shiro was at the base of the stairs and slowly making her way toward him, "Don't be such a stiff!  You should've gone to bed because lack of sleep makes you such a grumpy person, Stigma."

                In any other case or situation, calling a superior by his or her first name without permission would be extremely disrespectful, but Shiro understood the captain, and she knew he wouldn't mind it.  In fact, he seemed to enjoy the intimacy of a person's first name – when _she_ used it, anyway.

                As Stigma turned to face her, a tackling embrace overtook him.  Of course, he was strong enough to stay on his feet, but it caught him off guard, Shiro's arms sliding around his neck, the taste of her lips.  Well, he never _could _stay angry with her.  Without hesitation, Stigma's arms wrapped themselves around the lieutenant, and he held her close even when she had pulled her lips from his to rest her head over his left shoulder.

                "Shi…"

                "Quiet, Stigma…"

                Shiro lifted her head so her mouth was about even with his left ear, "Don't say my name too much.  You might wear it out."  
                "Never.  You're _my_ white rabbit…"

                The woman smiled underneath her spectacles, and Stigma reached down to remove them for her, "Let's get you to bed, Shiro…"  
                "Yes, captain."

                _It's everywhere…  _

_You can't possibly escape it._

At 7:00 am, a summon was broadcasted throughout the base by intercom, a summon for the White Rabbit, for Shiro, the pilot of le Lapin Blanc.  

At 7:30 am, another message was sent because the pilot had not reported to the commander's office as she was asked to do.

                At 8:00 am, Captain Stigma Stoller was reported missing from his quarters and was nowhere to be found.  He lay in the White Rabbit's den, asleep beneath the bed sheets, on his side with one arm resting under his head.  When he opened his eyes at 8:10 am, Shiro was no longer with him, and when he rolled over to check the clock on Shiro's nightstand, he noticed that the uniform he'd been wearing the night before was folded and placed neatly on a chair beside the nightstand.

                "Huh, well thank you, white rabbit…"

                Stoller sat up off the bed, forgetting the check the time entirely now as he rubbed his head, ignoring the sudden chill.  The sun was shining outside and he knew that by the thin rays of sunlight trickling in through the closed blinds beside the bed, but in these mountains, it was always cold.  He reached over to open the blinds, wincing as the sunlight hit his eyes.  He took a moment to adjust before leaning forward with an elbow over his left knee, his deep blue eyes following the hovering Whale Kings depart from the base, swimming through the sky in every direction.  It was the same routine, every single day…  Nobody could stop the Backdraft from picking on and victimizing Zoid pilots outside the organization.  The only reason he continued putting up with everything was because of Shiro.  If it weren't for her, he wouldn't even have considered returning to the Backdraft.  Damn him and his weak state of mind!

                "You're still in bed?"

                Stoller looked up and saw Shiro walking in, closing the door behind her, "And you're not even dressed.  How long have you been awake anyway?"

                "Not very…"

                "Right."

                Shiro went to the chair and unfolded Stoller's uniform, bringing it to him.  Holding it by the collar in one hand, her right reached down to grab the bed sheets, which she then tossed aside, causing the captain to jump slightly, frantically grasping for the sheets to conceal himself.  Shiro laughed, "What are you doing?  It's not like I haven't already _seen _all there is to see about you, captain!"

                "Could you not be so loud about it…?"  
                He had his head lowered because he knew he was blushing.

                "Calm down, Stigma.  These walls are sound-proof, remember?"  
                Shiro offered a sly grin, "If you really _did_ care about how much others could hear…" She leaned in toward him until the tip of her nose was against his, "Then why do you allow us to continue meeting after hours?  Think of last night, for example…"

                "Alright, alright…!"

                Stoller tossed his legs over the side of the bed and stood as Shiro draped the white, button-up shirt of his uniform over his shoulder, "Here, captain, let's get you ready for school."

                "I can… dress myself, lieutenant."  
                "Really!"

                "Yes, really…"

                _… the White Rabbit versus the Black Dragon.  _

_                One day, it will come down to that._   __

                The team of Stealth Vipers was desperately slithering from the battlefield, and even at top speeds, the limbless Zoids found that the black dragon had no trouble chasing them down.  The dragon Zoid trampled over one of the four slower Vipers, crushing it underneath its razor sharp claws as it continued toward the remaining three.

"Izumi, what are you doing?!"  
Jamie was screaming from the control room of the Hovercraft, "Izumi, stop!  You'll kill somebody

and we'll be disqualified!" 

                Izumi refused to respond as she continued on, also ignoring the Viper Team's leader while he shouted his message to both the Blitz Team and the Judge, "We forfeit, just get this lunatic off our tail!  She's trying to kill us!!  Stop, damn it!  You just won!!"

                "Cowards don't deserve to walk away without at least a few scars…"

                As the Dreigon roared and prepared to activate its thrusters, it was dragged to a stop by the Liger Zero whose teeth were clamped down over the Dreigon's tail, holding the larger Zoid in place, allowing the Shadow Fox and Gunsniper to take it from the sides, using their combined weight to force the dragon into a crouch and then onto its side.  

                "What are you guys doing?!"

                "This is the second time you've totally lost it today!  What's wrong with you?!"

                "Lay off, Brad!"

                The Dreigon continued to struggle against the three Zoids restraining it.  Finally, the Shadow Fox darted forward and caught the Dreigon's head between its teeth, tightening its mouth over the head and cockpit while Izumi remained inside.  She was glaring at the monitors and warning windows appearing before her, the monitor directly in front of her flashing red, telling her that her Zoid system was slowly about to freeze, cutting off the oxygen to her cockpit.

                "Damn you… damn you all…"

                "How are we going to get the Dreigon back into our possession _now_?"

                "Yes, I hear that the Black Dragon has become an new member of the Blitz Team…"  

                "We've never been able to defeat that team in combat, not even when fighting by _our _terms and with a Black Judge monitoring."  

                "What do you think? White Rabbit?"

                Shiro glanced up at the seven screens flickering around her as she sat on a stool in the center of the dark room, illuminated a single fluorescent light somewhere above.

                "I think…" Shiro smirked behind her frameless spectacles, "The Black Dragon will soon find herself desperately alone.  It's the way she was designed to be.  It's how we were all programmed to be…  We're destined to be alone should we ever attempt to survive in a world outside of the organization's.  She'll be back when the world turns her away."

                "I suppose you would know, Rabbit."

                "Of course."

                Shiro lifted her head, smiling still as she recalled the same exact incident, "I was still young then.  I didn't know what was best for me, so I escaped thinking I could…"  
                "Be one of the outsiders?  I think not."

                "We hope that you now know better, Rabbit."  
                She nodded slightly, bowing her head in submission to the seven windows, and the ambiguous faces on each one, "I understand perfectly now…"

                _This can't be… our destiny.  _

                  
                


	7. Deus

Disclaimer:  Alright, I am feeling the effects of junior year in high school at full force.  I'm not sure how many of you actually look forward to my updates, but to those of you who do, I'm sorry I haven't been updating.  I may not update until next month, either.  Goin' out of the country for winter vacation.  Joy.  I should hope you have lots of that for the holidays.  Shiro and Izumi (and her Dreigon) are original creations.  Don't steal.  Enjoy chapter.. 7, was it?  Enjoy. 

[ once again: forgive grammatical or spelling errors.  They are wholly unintentional, I assure you! ]

**Deus**

                Jamie always felt alone at such late hours when everybody went to sleep and he was the only one awake in the whole building.  He used to tell himself that he stayed up because he wanted to work on strategies for the team, but half the time, he had nothing to do except walk about, trying to make himself sleepy so he could go to bed.  Nothing ever worked, and he always felt so alone.

                He stepped into the hanger and went directly to the green Pterosaur that sat between Leena's Gunsniper and the empty slot where Brad's Shadow Fox would be and laid his hands over the right wing of his Raynos Zoid.  He was so proud of it.  And for some reason, he didn't feel quite so alone when he has his Zoid with him.  He failed to notice that across the room, beside the Liger Zero was the Drache Rebirth, and at the black Zoid's feet was the Black Dragon herself.  It wasn't until she was about ready to leave that the two noticed one another.  

                "Oh, Izumi…!" 

                "I apologize.  I'll go."  
                "No, it's okay.  I'd like it if you stayed down here for a little bit longer."

                "What's the matter?  Are you afraid of the dark, Jamie?"

                "Sort of…"  
                Izumi almost blinked at this then returned to her Zoid, patting it lightly over the nose as it lowered its head to her.  Jamie approached them, watching the black Zoid with each cautious step, "It's just like the Liger…"

                "It's an Organoid, exactly like the Liger Zero."

                "An 'Organoid"?  Those are hard to come by now…  I heard they actually learn from past mistakes like people do, and they can function even without a pilot at the helm.  They're amazing…"

                "Yes, and there are only three of them."

                "Really?  The Liger, the Berserk Fuhrer…  The Dreigon must be the third!"

                "Yes.  They're as close to the fabled Ultimate X type as you'll get, but the Dreigon is like the black sheep of the three.  It doesn't have any real history behind it.  It was simply… created, and then given the shell of an ideal Zoid."

                Izumi turned away from her Zoid and leaned back against it, sliding down to the floor so she could sit, allowing Jamie to take a seat beside her on the floor, "I wonder when Brad's coming back."

                "Probably tomorrow morning.  He went to see that Fluegel girl, right?"

                "Yeah.  They don't get to see each other very often, and it took them forever to admit that they were interested in one another.  I think it's just a crush, on both sides, I mean."

                "What makes you say that?"  Izumi tilted her head back against the Drache's leg, watching a moth hover around one of the lights above, "Do you actually watch them, or something?"

                "I don't go out of my way to, but sometimes, I see them outside together.  I don't know how to say this, but I just think those two are too alike.  They're too used to being loners to have a real relationship with one another.  It's too balanced, you know?  Then again, what do I know…?"  

                "You analyze everything you see, don't you, Jamie?"  
                "Uh, no!  Of course not!  I just think a bit too much."  
                "Yeah, me too."  

                For the first time, Jamie saw Izumi smile – well, something like that.  He wasn't quite sure if it was really a smile or just a smirk, but either way, she didn't appear quite as upset as she normally seemed.

                "You know, Izumi…  You should smile more often.  You're pretty when you smile like that."  

                "You sound so sure, Jamie…"

                "That's because I am."

                She blinked at the boy, her smile disappearing as she arched her brows in bewilderment, "Why would you say something like that?  Being beautiful is…" Izumi paused, waiting for a name to come to mind, "Naomi is beautiful.  Beautiful women are the ones who have companions…  The rest of us are alone."

                "That can't be true!  Izumi, if you really feel that way, _I'll _be there for you!  _I _think you're pretty, Izumi, honest…!"  

                "Jamie."

                "I'm serious!"

                "Jamie!"

                "…Yeah?"

                "Maybe in five years or so, Jamie.  Don't get so worked up just yet."

                "Oh, okay…  Sorry."

                He lowered his head, blushing furiously.  He looked up only when he heard Izumi chuckle, and barely noticed her lean in as she kissed his cheek, "Grow up, Jamie Hemeros."

_He shouldn't figure it out._

_                He mustn't hate us._

                She made her way through the dark hallways, carrying a sleeping boy in her arms.  She knew where his room was and found it soon enough, struggling only with opening the door while still carrying Jamie.  Izumi then returned him to bed, removing only his outer vest for him as she tucked him under the covers and then pulled the blankets to the top of his chin.  He rolled away in his sleep so that his back was to her, and she blinked at this as she pulled a chair to the side of his bed, sitting down so that the back rest was actually in front, allowing her to rest her arms over it.  And now that she was alone, she began to wonder about her own existence and the relevance of others.  A purpose…

                Was he it? __

                _There is only one White Rabbit, _

_… only one Black Dragon…_

Looking up at the sky, Izumi was able to understand everything.  No purpose was needed in order for them to survive – only contact.  All she had to do was connect with the outsiders, and she could survive.  

                _There is only one Wild Eagle._

"What?!  You let Bit and Izumi have this match?!  What were you thinking, _dad_?!!  Izumi's a loose cannon!"

                "Look who's talking…"

                "Shut up, Brad!  Dad!"  Leena turned back to face Doctor Toros, "Why?!  What got into you?!!  You _know _Izumi's just going to snap and go on a killing rampage!"

                "That's based on _theory_, Leena."

                "DAD!"

                Toros was in his swiveling chair and trapped against a wall as his daughter screamed uncontrollably and ranted in his face, "Uhm, Leena?"

                "WHAT, dad?!"

                "You're making me miss the battle."

                Brad snickered as Jamie stepped in the room, "You're just in time, kid."  The boy walked up beside the mercenary, and they watched Leena's temper soar.  They were bored just seconds later and turned to watch the monitoring system that gave them a front row seat to the battle – Liger Zero and Drache Rebirth versus two members from the Hammerhead Team.  Of course, by the time Brad and Jamie figured this out, the battle was over.  The Liger and Dreigon had taken out the two Hammer Head Zoids in no time, the two Zoids from the Blitz Team moving so quickly and with such precision that even the Judge was dumbfounded for a few minutes before it was able to announce the winner of the battle.

                "The winner is… the Blitz Team!"

                The white lion and the black dragon stood side by side as both raised their heads in unison to roar.  Then, the Liger turned its head to snap at the Dreigon, who was barely able to escape the Liger's jaws by leaping back.  It let out a grunt of discontent before both pilots forced their Zoids to part, remaining side by side as they returned to the hover cargo, only this time, they kept a distance of ten yards between them.  A ramp to the right of the hover cargo opened, allowing the two Zoids to enter.  Izumi pulled Dreigon back as it tried to cut the Liger off, "Behave yourself…"

                Bit sighed as he guided the Liger into the empty slot.  As its feet were secured into place on the platform, the wheel began to turn, stopping when another empty platform was in place, allowing the Dreigon onboard.  As the hovercraft slowly turned around to leave the area, Toros' voice boomed over the intercom, congratulating the two pilots, "A job well done, team!  The Drache is the most incredible Zoid I've ever laid eyes on!" And so on, and so on, until Liger was fidgeting with jealousy and discontent.  Bit patted the side of its head as he emerged from the cockpit, "Don't worry, Liger.  You and I both know that you're the _real _champion Zoid."  Liger roared.

                "Everybody hurry!  We have another request for a battle!"

                "What, _another_ one?!"  

                "We need the money!"

                "Hey, doc.  We're not really that desperate, are we…?"

"Izumi, are you feeling okay?

Jamie was almost afraid to approach the woman, afraid that he might have interrupted her time with the Dreigon, "That battle was really something else…"

                "I guess.  And Jamie, I'm fine.  If the doc is having second thoughts about sending me into this next fight, tell him to forget it.  I'm going in…"

                "Well, we only need two people in the next battle, and the doc's already decided to send Brad out there.  He's just not sure if you'd be willing to go.  The Liger needs a few minor repairs, and he doesn't want to send Leena out…  She's kind of pissed right now, you know."

"Yes, Jamie, I'm aware.  This makes the Shadow Fox and the Dreigon.  I hope it will be able to keep up."

"You always sound so drab…"

                "I'm sorry…  Now, I need to complete the modifications on Dreigon…  I wasn't able to finish them in time for the last battle, so I'll finish up before the next one.  I've already replaced the charge particle cannon with Brad's old twin 80mm cannon."

                And with that, Izumi turned away from Jamie to scramble up the Drache's leg, moving to its back.  The boy exited the hanger with a slight sigh.

                "I can feel it, captain…" Shiro smiled, "I can feel it.  It's so strong, this feeling, that it's burning me from the insides!  Stoller, today's the day!  Today's the day Lapin and I will fight the Dreigon."  She broke off with a laugh as she stood at the mouth of the open hanger, resisting the wind that threatened to suck her out.  She had her Genosaurer to hold on to.  Stoller on the other hand was a safe distance away from the mouth of the hanger, shielding himself from the wind with an arm against his forehead, "Shiro, get into your Zoid before the wind drags you out!"

                She whirled around to face Stoller and offered a deep bow as the Lapin Blanc gave to the wind and was pulled from the hanger while its Zoid pilot was still perched on one of its hind claws.  Stoller immediately ran toward the platform but was held from going too far by three mechanics, "Shiro!"

                He thought he heard a faint "I love you". 

                _Naomi Fluegel versus Hagime Izumi._

Brad sat at the controls of his Shadow Fox, his fingers growing tense around the clutch as he prepared himself for the launch.  He hated preparations.  They were so monotonous.  No time to complain, and the stealth Zoid was hurled into the air by the catapult at the very top of the hover cargo.  The Dreigon followed soon after, making contact with the desert arena in a graceful landing, beside the Shadow Fox.  The two pilots waited for the battle judge to arrive on the field.  The other team had already arrived – it was the Fluegel Team.  Izumi sat motionless in the Drache's cockpit, reclined against the backrest of her seat, arms folded over her chest as she waited in silence, her eyes closed.  Naomi Fluegel's voice came into the seclusion of her cockpit, and though Izumi could not see, she could tell by the faint beep that a window had popped up on the battle monitor in front of her as well.  She gave no response – as if Naomi needed one.  The Fluegel Team leader had a look of intense determination on her face as she made her challenge to the female mercenary.  Brad could hear it through the intercoms linking their Zoids to Izumi's.  

                "Hagime Izumi!  I've been waiting so long for this.  You'll pay for what you did during that last battle.  Warriors like you should not be allowed to fight sanctioned battles, not with your methods and strategies…  Only the Backdraft group would stoop to your level!"

                "Naomi Fluegel."

                Izumi's voice was cold, and it reminded Brad of the first time he'd met Izumi, "Naomi, I don't want to hear your insults until this battle is over…  Focus on the task at hand because you'll be needing every bit of experience you have to defeat," she paused before continuing, "the Blitz Team."  

                Leon's voice broke in before Naomi could respond, "Hey, the Judge declared the start of this battle ten seconds ago.  Let's get to it."

                Brad sighed as he leaned forward, "I'm with ya' on that one, Leon."  

                The two black Zoids lunged into the battle as the red Blade Liger on the other side rushed forward to meet them.  Naomi's Gunsniper stayed at a safe distance, turning away as it prepared the rifle in its tail.  

                _Zoid battles follow strict rules of conduct, and the violation of such rules will result in disqualification, fines, a drop in rank, and in some cases, arrest…_

"Strike Laser Claw!"

                The Shadow Fox leapt into the air to clash with Leon's Blade Liger.  When they made contact, both Zoids locked together as one attempted to tear apart the other.  Izumi sped by with the Drache Rebirth, taking care not to go at top speeds when she passed the two Zoids lest they are blown to bits by an unintended sonic boom on her part.  Naomi's Gunsniper had disappeared, but Izumi didn't seem surprised or fazed in the least bit.  She only continued forward until the Dreigon came under fire.  No doubt Naomi was hiding behind some dune or in the cliffs bordering the battlefield.  She was launching an assault on the Dreigon without making any contact; thus was her method of battling, and Izumi could care less.  The Dreigon charged onward, heeding the silent guidance of its pilot and partner even while she was guiding it deeper into the storm of 144 mm bullets and the explosions that wracked the black dragon.  From the cockpit, Izumi could hear a low growl, and she moved one hand from the controls to place it over the monitor in front of her, calming her partner, coaxing it forward, "Don't worry, Dreigon.  We'll get her, and then you may tear her to pieces as you did the last."

                The Dreigon lifted its head while it stampeded toward the red cliffs ahead, letting out a roar as it declared its victory even before it had even engaged the enemy.  Izumi brought into the canyon between the rows of rock walls which made the cliffs, pausing when the fire stopped so that the Dreigon could scan the area, searching for its target.  Powder from the iron-enriched earth tumbling down a cliff side beside them caught the Zoid's attention, and it whirled around on all fours, immediately firing three shots at the very top of the cliff with the twin rifle over its back.  The red Gunsniper was exposed and it stood perched over the Dreigon.  Without wasting any time, the red Zoid had fled, disappearing from view once more, leaving the Dreigon in the canyon as fragments of the cliff came tumbling down over it.

                "You lose, Izumi!"

                A few miles away, the battle between the Shadow Fox and Blade Liger had ceased fighting as both Zoids watched the canyon in the distance with their heads raised, their pilots questioning until both received a message from Naomi. 

                "It's up to you now, Brad.  Your teammate is out of commission."

                "What?!  That's impossible!  The Dreigon is stronger than that!"  

                "Stronger than me, you mean?"  
                Leon's Blade Liger took this opportunity to attack the Shadow Fox, twisting its head to the side.  One of two blades appeared on the right side of the Liger's neck, cutting into the fox's shoulder, forcing it to the ground by disabling one of its limbs.  

                Naomi disconnected the link as she heard the Shadow Fox fall, smiling to herself, "We beat… the Blitz Team _and _that renegade pilot."  

                She turned her Zoid around and began to leave the area to find Leon when a low rumbling distracted her, and her attention was diverted to the canyon below where the Dreigon had been buried.

                "What was that?"

                The Gunsniper peered over the edge to see the chasm empty.  There were rocks here and there from before, but the black dragon was gone, "Oh no!"

                "Oh yes…"

                The Gunsniper took a step back as it raised its head to see the Dreigon coming down from above, its shadow looming over the red Zoid like grim death before it struck the Gunsniper with both of its front claws.  The Gunsniper was tackled off its feet and secured against the red earth by the Dreigon's weight.  The larger Zoid had its claws through the Gunsniper's neck, and when under its bulk, Naomi's Zoid could barely move.  She could feel the pressure in her cockpit…

                "I win, Naomi Fluegel."

                The last thing Naomi saw was the pitch black leading down into the throat of the Dreigon as its jaws closed over its victim's head.

                "Naomi!"

                Leon stared at the static in his vid-window, disbelieving.  Naomi wasn't responding to him, but why?  What could have happened?

"Naomi!"  
"Naomi won't be waking up any time soon…"

                The renegade pilot!"

                "I suggest you worry about yourself."

                Just as it had done before, the Drache attacked from above, slashing into the back of the Blade Liger's neck.  As it held the Zoid in place, it began tearing apart the armored backside with its teeth, not bothering to stop even after the Judge had declared the Blitz Team the winner of this battle.

                When the Blade Liger ceased all movement, the Dreigon stepped off of it and turned to peer at the Shadow Fox.  It tilted its head to see the hover cargo rolling toward them, and upon deciding that it was too slow, lowered its head to nudge the Zoid.

                "Brad.  Brad, you alright?"

                Izumi almost smiled when she heard a groan.  Brad's voice came through.

                "Er, yeah…  That was a pretty sad display of effort I put in."

                "You did fine, Brad, really."  
                "Wait, where is Naomi?!"

                "Naomi?" Izumi paused, "Naomi is alive…"

                The Drache Rebirth was still for a moment, its pilot falling silent before the Dreigon turned away and marched slowly to the approaching hover cargo.

                _Rules are meant to be broken._

_                In love, there are no rules to break…_

Izumi stood against the wall outside of Brad's room.  Her eyes were closed and her arms were tucked behind her back as she listened to the silence pouring from the open door.  Naomi was occupying the bed, and Brad sat in a chair beside it, hunched over with his elbows on his knees.  They said nothing, but as always, their silence spoke volumes.  He kissed her.

                _… only hearts.  _ 


	8. Despair

I'm back in the U.S.  Time for chapter 8.  Yayee.  I should be finishing Moby Dick… which is due tomorrow!  AH!  … it's okay, I'm good.  I'll procrastinate.  Procrastinate!  …. Yes, now to the point.  I've finally updated.  As I mentioned before, this is chapter 8.  Damn, it always looks so 'spaced out' when I load it in html format.  Grr.. oh well.  It's still readable, right?

Disclaimer:  Shiro, Izumi, Drache are original creations.. Everybody else is credited to the creator(s) of New Century Zoids.  You get the idea.

**Despair**

_In the rain…_

_I am alone._

                It was the most horrible feeling, to be alone and forgotten.  She wanted to die.  She walked without aim, for miles and miles in the rain until her feet slipped underneath her, and she fell against the desert ash turned to mud.  There she lay, motionless against the cool, inviting earth, forgetting to breathe as the soft mud consumed her.  The warmth of cold metal against her shoulder rolled her onto her back, and she opened her eyes to stare into those of a mechanical partner.  Her violet eyes were beautiful, but she could only see through one.  Her purple gaze had never been so sad.  

                "Hey, Dreigon…"

                She saw her reflection in the dark metal and smiled, watching the Dreigon's cockpit open.  It waited there, motionless as its jaw hung open, letting out a low croon, coaxing her into the cockpit, away from the rain.  Izumi climbed in and on her side against the leather seat, "Dreigon, do you love me?"

_I love you more than I love the rain._

_I love you more than anything, my master.  _

                Jamie ran through the halls of the desert base, panting as he burst through every door he came across until he ended up where he started – the tactics room, "Where could she have gone?!"  

                Bit was lying on one of the cushioned benches, "Maybe she got tired of working for us.  Didn't you say her Zoid is missing too?"  
                "Yeah, but…  She wouldn't leave without telling us anything, would she?"

                "She's a mercenary."

                "I guess…"

                The two then turned their heads to watch the rain outside as it pounded against the windowpane.  Thunder clashed immediately after as if greeting them.

                "Hate to get stuck out in the rain on a night like this."

                "Tell me about it."

                Izumi…

_Something is coming for me.  _

_Is that you, my white rabbit?_

                "Shiro, any sign of the Drache and its pilot yet?"

                "Not yet, Stigma, but I'm close.  I can hear it, and it is crying."  

                "Say that again, Shiro?  The storm is messing with the reception."

                Shiro smiled in the darkness of the cockpit, her teeth almost gleaming despite the absence of light as she stared at the panels and screens around her, scanning the area as it was blurred by the rain.  She had taken her time in the search and recovery of Drache Rebirth, and that annoyed her superiors, but she knew she would find her target before the end of the day.  It was late, yes.  It was pouring, yes.

                "Lapin, let's meet with our new friend."

                A distant roar shook the earth, and both Shiro and the Lapin Blanc knew it wasn't thunder.  The cry belonged to an animal – no, a monster – and both seemed to laugh at the sound as if taking pleasure from the tone that denoted anguish and despair.  It was bone chilling, yet it was the most beautiful sound, like a wolf crying to the moon, sorrowful but majestic at the same time.  Shiro's hand reached to a clutch to her right, closing around it before yanking it back, causing the Lapin Blanc to growl before it quickened its pace to a hurried jog, building in speed until its clawed feet were almost gliding over the soft mud.  

                Eventually, the Lapin drew to a stop, lifting its head to gaze at its surroundings with its blood red eyes.  It continued to growl as it searched the area.  Shiro blinked at the screens around her as she removed her goggles, "What is it, Lapin?  Do you see your brethren?"

                Both pilot and Zoid felt it then, the presence of another as it stood in the rain and stared up at the dark sky with its mouth hung open as if to catch the raindrops with a non-existent tongue.  Its fangs almost glared when slicked with rain, flashing especially bright whenever lightning shot down from the sky.  Shiro squinted at the main monitor in front of her and blinked when she noticed the cockpit of the Dreigon was open, and the pilot was standing with her arms extended toward the falling rain.   

_I walk in the rain._

_I am alone._

                The Lapin Blanc lowered its head slightly as it let out a roar, warning and threatening the Drache at the same time as the 120mm twin cannons rose off of its back just enough to become operational.  Shiro smiled as she lowered her goggles over the spectacles that were perched before her eyes.  She waited for the glass canopy of the cockpit to open before standing from her seat, bringing her hands to either side of her mouth before shouting toward the other pilot as she stood motionless with her black Zoid, "Izumi!  Hagime Izumi!  Turn around and prepare to die!"

                The black-haired woman barely moved as she turned, slowly, until her head was tilted so that Shiro could see the violet gleam of her left eye and the thin black strap that disappeared beneath locks of hair which fell over where her right eye would be.  Even from where she stood, Shiro was taken off guard by the expression on Izumi's face.  It was depressing and unsettling, and Shiro's eyes took every detail in until the sight was drilling into her stomach, making her sick.  

                "Lapin, fire!"

                The white Genosaurer complied and fired two shots from its twin cannons.  The first round struck the Dreigon's hind legs and it roared before the second round landed against its spinal area, the impact knocking its pilot from the cockpit..  There was no more protesting on its part as it fell to a crouched position, Izumi landing a few feet away with her face in the soaked earth.  Shiro hopped from the Lapin Blanc and stumbled through the mud to Izumi as her Zoid approached the Dreigon and knocked it off its feet with a blow from its tail.  It set one foot down over the Dreigon's side before tilting its head to glance toward the two pilots.  

                _I walk in the rain._

_                I walk alone._

                "Get up, you goddamn weakling!"  
                A foot came down over Izumi's shoulder to kick her onto her back as a black pistol hovered over her face.  It belonged to the nameless Backdraft sergeant who called herself "Shiro" because it's what the Backdraft officials decided to call her.  She learned not to question, so she became a hard worker and a good soldier.  She was about to kill a former ally – her orders obligated her to do so without hesitation.  It angered her that the prey refused to fight back.  She kicked Izumi again.

                "Get up!  Get up!  Damn it, get _up_!"

                The safety had been removed and Izumi could barely make out the soft click of the gun through the rain that continued to pound from the sky.  She knew Shiro was shaking because the weapon was jittering.  The mercenary opened her eyes and stared up at Shiro.  With her eyes open, all her other senses seemed to awaken as well, and she could hear the Drache Rebirth crying as it thrashed against the Lapin Blanc.  It was almost pleading; Izumi had never heard the Dreigon beg.  Why do you throw away your dignity, Dreigon?

_Because_ _I love you more than I love the rain._

_Because I love you more than anything, my master._

                Shiro blinked and reared back slightly with the gun still in her hand when Izumi suddenly moved.  Her hand rose slowly as its fingers uncurled yet the movement had taken Shiro off guard.  It was lifting toward her, and it appeared to be reaching for her pistol, its languid movements devoid of any hurry or panic, meaning it wasn't shaking or trembling, unlike Shiro herself.  This woman.  This woman looked freakishly cold and dead, and her left eye was a bottomless pit, a purple vortex into a soul that couldn't possibly exist.  

                "Are you expecting me to help you?!"

                There was no response.  Izumi's fingers twitched, and Shiro grimaced, kicking her again before backing away in slow, cautious steps, her body ceasing its annoying jittering while her hand only grew worse with the gun held in its fingers, index over the trigger.  She was terrified now, and her terror was pierced by a sliver of sympathy for this woman.

                "Damn it!  Damn _you_!"

                The sergeant threw down her pistol, and it hit the mud without a noise before slowly sinking into the wet soil.  She then reached down and grabbed the mercenary's right arm while noting that the rain had soaked through her shirt.  A yank brought Izumi to her knees with an erect spine, but as soon as Shiro released her arm, Izumi hunched over and nearly fell back against the mud.  Shiro's grimace was exchanged for a scowl as she took a step back and stood there, watching the other woman, "You're such a weakling.  I'm so disappointed that I'm sick to my stomach right now.  You make me sick!  You goddamn good-for-nothing-weakling!"

                She rushed forward and sent her foot across Izumi's chin, knocking the lady mercenary onto her back.  Another kick landed against Izumi's stomach as she was lying on her side again, yet she lay motionless and took the assault without protest.  The rain never paused at any of this, and it continued to fall, like a cool curtain of purity that tried to wash away this ugly scene of imperfection.  They hid this from the world, and they hid the white rabbit's tears as she screamed, her screaming falling on the deaf ears of a black dragon in despair, whose imaginary soul had been eaten away by years of absolute nothingness.  That was the worst kind of pain – nothing.

                "You deserve to die!  I should kill you right here and _now_!"

                "You're crying…"

                "What?!"

                Shiro stopped suddenly, her misted eyes widening with something that wasn't blind anger or hatred as she stared at the black dragon, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!"  

                "I forgive you…"

                "Shut up!"

                Her foot came down over Izumi's right cheek, burrowing its heel against pale flesh.  The red caught Shiro's attention then, as if it hadn't been present up until this moment.  She saw the blood on Izumi's face, its origin being her mouth.  The trembling returned, followed by another scream.  Shiro was screaming.  She was screaming into the sky, into the rain, into a heaven that would not answer her.  She continued screaming as she turned away and ran to the Lapin Blanc, who pushed away from the Dreigon to meet its pilot.  She disappeared into the Lapin's cockpit before the Lapin disappeared into the distorted horizon.     

_                This can't be our fate._

_                We can't be alone..._

The Drache slowly rose to its feet and dragged itself to Izumi where it collapsed again, its metallic bulk shadowing the pilot.  Neither seemed to notice a faint glow coming from the distance.  The yellow glow grew as it drew nearer, and the Dreigon lifted its head to roar when it saw the hover cargo.  The vehicle stopped beside the Dreigon, and its hanger opened to release the Liger Zero.

                Bit Cloud emerged from the Liger's cockpit to gaze down at the sight set before him.  He shook his head with a sigh before sitting down in his seat again, instructing the Liger to drag the Dreigon into the hover cargo as Jamie and Leena came running to retrieve Izumi, both hidden beneath identical yellow raincoats.  Leena appeared surprisingly concerned with the condition of this introverted mercenary who seemed to alienate everyone in her life, even her teammates.  They took the woman in their arms and carefully brought her into the dry and sterile environment of the hover craft.

                Even in her current physical state, she could discern one voice from all the others.  Brad was coming to meet Leena and Jamie, and he stopped in front of them to take Izumi, scooping her up into his arms without much effort before taking her from the hanger to a more comfortable room where she could rest.  

                "Brad Hunter…"

                "… be quiet, Izumi.  You shouldn't talk right now."

                When she had been laid down in the spare room, Jamie appeared at the door with a bowl of warm water and a folded cloth, being insecure as he usually is when work is given to others.  They never usually made any mistakes, but Jamie was a paranoid boy…

                Brad was silent as he began cleaning Izumi's face with the cloth Jamie had brought with him, wet because he had dipped it in the warm water.  Nobody said a word.  

                _This can't be my fate._

_                I'm not alone, am I?      _  


	9. Recollection

Note from the (stressed out) author:Well, here's where it all gets super-angsty and sappy (as sappy as I can manage, anyway).I hope people haven't abandoned this fic because I haven't been updating or because NCZ isn't being broadcasted 24-7 on Cartoon Network anymore.I realized recently how much influence that channel has on people.Just remember Robotech!I think this is chapter 9.If you're still reading (and liking), thanks!R&R, please, even if you don't enjoy it..!

Disclaimer:A-ah… let me think.Oh yeah, the usual stuff.Shiro, Izumi, and Izumi's Zoid are my original creations.Everything else is credited to the creators of NCZ.Spelling/grammar errors are always careless and unintentional (and almost always present, unfortunately).Gotcha'… yeah. 

** **

**Recollection**

** **

"She came in this morning.We're not sure what happened to her out there but she hasn't spoken or eaten, or done much of anything else except sit here and sweat.When the Lapin's cockpit opened, she fell out.It's a wonder that she managed to pilot it all the way back to base before collapsing and…"

Stigma Stoller listened to the ensign beside him as they stood at the doorway of Shiro's living quarters.Both were staring at the naked figurine cowering in a far corner, its bare porcelain arms over a pair of rosy legs, curled around just below the knees, complimented by streams of faded silver tumbling over the statue's shoulders and pouring over almost all of her.

"Thank you, ensign.You may go now," came Stoller's raspy voice.The soldier blinked at him as if surprised that the captain had actually spoken after regarding the situation with silence up until that moment.He stammered in compliance and left quickly, allowing the automatic door to slide shut after he'd exited the room, leaving the captain standing, silent once again as he examined the pathetic creature presented before his critical eyes, hardened by age.Those clear sapphire eyes had seen so much since the day he first joined the Backdraft Organization, including the making of both the Dreigon and Lapin Blanc.He'd been with the Backdraft for thirty-two years, not counting the three years he'd spent as a registered Zoid warrior.He told everyone that he had left because he wanted to fight the Blitz Team's Bit Cloud in a registered Zoid battle, but there was the factor of disagreeing with the organization's methods of winning.They had become such fanatics, the Committee of Seven, that they had approved of experimenting on humans to create the perfect warrior.Children.Raised to obey, to destroy.He wouldn't have any of that, so when the projects were reaching their climax, he quit.He had good reason to resent the organization for everything they did, especially the experiments.He remembered that at one point, the Backdraft became very close to abandoning the experimenting for ethical matters; they took it up again just a short time ago, intending to use the subjects as last gasps in the struggle to continue existing.It was there fault.He wanted to kill every last one of them.Shiro and her current condition were results of their warped studies, after all.Animals…

Stoller approached the woman, kneeling in front of her as a large, gloved hand lifted to cup the right side of her face by squeezing past her arm.He was met with no resistance, only cold skin.Her body temperature must have dropped over the coarse of the night.She must be ill.Stoller leaned forward, his other hand sliding up to her left shoulder to grasp it as his right pulled away from her face to hold her by the right arm.They worked together in slowly drawing the woman to Stoller so that he might be able to pick her up and carry her to bed.This time, she lashed out at him, her tight fists striking clumsily yet desperately, her legs making attempts to escape their positioning so that they might be able to aid her arms by kicking at the enemy that didn't exist here.She struck Stoller a few times, maybe even bruising him in a few places, but he held onto her, uncompromising, until her movements lagged to a gradual stop, which took quite a while, but Stoller had unlimited patience for this woman so he waited without any complaints.When all the violence had receded, he made another attempt to pull her closer, stopping again when he heard the whimpering.Shiro was whimpering.Then she was crying, with her jaw hung slack and her voice erupting in an unrestrained release of anguish and utter despair, her emerald eyes shedding a bounty of salty tears.The crying didn't show any signs of stopping, and Stoller's expression finally changed.His lips curled back to reveal loosely clenched teeth, the rigid bones of his sagging cheeks shifting as his eyes seemed to narrow, or squint, rather.Even while being a mere spectator he was in pain, and his arms, always exaggerated by their length, slid around this sobbing, porcelain mess, clutching it to a body that was so built it seemed uncomfortably hard, but it was warm, even through the thick material of his uniform, as he clutched the figurine to him, forgetting that porcelain was fragile and the force he applied in the desperate embrace might crush her.He wanted to protect her, to keep her from shattering into a billion pieces, because he knew he would never be able to put her back together. 

"You're safe now, Shiro…You're safe."

_Shiro!Shiro!_

_Shiro, where are you!_

_ _

_"Shiro, Shiro!"_

_The sun smiled upon today.Everything was perfect, and everything was always perfect.There was only ignorance here, and yet this was how things were meant to be._

_"Shiro!"_

_Izumi fell face first against the dirt, disappearing beneath the tall grass.The sun continued to shine even as she sat up and proceeded to cry, as any child would.A small hand over her shoulder distracted her, and she turned to see another girl, only slightly older than herself.Even at such a young age, her hair was already a bleach-white, and the narrowing of her eyes along with the sharpness of her chin made her appear older than she actually was._

_"What's wrong, Izumi?"_

_The younger child stammered, "Sh-Shiro, they're coming to take me away tomorrow…Those people are coming to take me away from here, and we won't see each other again!And we won't…!"_

_"Izumi, I heard Captain Stoller is coming back."_

_"Captain Stoller?"Izumi smiled beneath misty eyes, "Shiro, you must be so happy…"_

_"No.You don't understand.He's returning to work on a new project.It seems he's helping the Backdraft develop a new Zoid."_

_"But you can still see him.You like him a lot, don't you?You should be happy…"_

_Shiro sat down beside Izumi, blinking at her, "What about you?Who will you have?I'm staying, and I'll have Stoller, but who will you have to confide in?"_

_"Shiro…"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Don't use big words…"_

_Izumi looked away and began to fiddle with a loose thread on her shirt, and Shiro stared at her in a moment of surprise before bursting into laughter.The younger of the two turned to look at her again, and she watched, also surprised, but soon decided to join in, and the two were in the field, under the perfect blue sky, laughing together. _

_Today was perfect.Tomorrow was still far, far away._

_ _

_Then, there was only you, Dreigon._

_Drache Rebirth, you were mine._

_ _

__"The next day, they came, and when they left, I was made to go with them.Of course, it's a lot more complicated than that…I don't want to share any more of my experiences.I'd rather forget everything that took place after that day... the tests they performed.I met Drache.They were cruel to him, too…"

The room fell silent.Not even Bit was able to find the correct response in time to answer Izumi when she'd drawn her life story to a conclusion.Bit Cloud, Brad Hunter, Jamie Hemeros, Leena Toros and her father – they were all deathly quiet as if contemplating something, allowing what they had just heard to sink into their once ignorant minds slowly.Leena, as it turned out, was the first to speak up, "Experimenting on humans…That's horrible!"

"It is.Their military was desperate, and their research department was ungodly curious…Shiro and I just happened to be there at the same time they took up the idea of artificially enhancing human subjects.We had no pasts, and we had no futures, so we were the most likely candidates," Izumi paused, "Well, you wanted to know where I came from…"

Jamie blinked up, "What about Shiro?Why is she so intent on trying to kill you now?"

"Maybe she's bitter.She's stuck with them and you're… here."

Brad opened his eyes, lifting his head to gaze at the mercenary woman, "Am I right?You mentioned that she had attempted to escape during the experiments.She ended up returning on her own because she couldn't function on the outside."

Izumi nodded, "Yes, that's how they tried to insure our cooperation.They kept us isolated so we had no idea what the outside world was like.That's how they tried to discourage us from escaping."

"You must've been pretty intimidated."  
She smiled toward Jamie, "I was more than intimidated.I was terrified of everything until I learned

to block everything out.Unfortunately, it pretty much screwed me up as a person."

"Hey, you're still a regular Miss Congeniality to us."  
"Ah, Bit speaks.Well, thank you, Bit Cloud…"

"Don't worry about Shiro, Izumi.The next time she comes around, we'll be ready for her. If you need our help, we're more than willing to give it, always.We don't take kindly to those who mess with members of the Blitz Team."

"I fully agree!Please, Izumi, as leader of the Blitz Team, I invite you to become a permanent member!Of course, this means we'll have two extra pilots, but hey, the more the merrier!"

"Thank you, Dr. Toros.I think I'll accept."

_ _

_So this is where I belong._

_I've finally found it_…

It was late, and Brad Hunter found himself wide-awake as he stalked the corridors of the Toros base.He was content with the solitude provided by the night atmosphere.It was dark and cool, and Brad felt completely at peace now, his steps accompanied by the song of a lonesome cricket.He appreciated the song.

Brad stopped when he stepped into the hanger and noticed a shadow amidst the moonlight flooding into the room, reflecting off of the Zoids as they slept.The shadow belonged to Izumi, who was toiling over repairs as she had been the last time Brad visited the hanger at night.The patient was the Drache Rebirth, of course, and the enormous metal monster stood motionless as if it understood its pilot's good intentions.A massive Buster Cannon had been mounted onto the Zoid's backside, and it seemed to be handling the weight without any trouble.Izumi was perched near the base of the cannon, making some quick inspections with cursory glances of her good eye.Brad approached the pilot and Zoid, stopping at the Dreigon's right fore claw, "I remember that weapon.It was a gift to Leena, compliments of Harry Champ.None of our Zoids could handle its weight, not even my Shadow Fox.I guess now it's not a problem."

"The Dreigon also has an interchangeable weapons system, and it can carry objects up to three times heavier than itself."

"It truly is a remarkable Zoid.You must be a pretty talented pilot, having bonded with such a ferocious beast."

"Thank you."

The Dreigon craned its neck and tilted its head as it eyed Brad from where he stood, a low growl escaping its clenched teeth.Izumi glanced back at Brad before pushing herself to her feet and hopping from the Dreigon's back, landing on one knee at its feet.She grimaced.

"You always choose to repair the Dreigon on your own, and you always pick the most convenient times."

"What do you mean?"

"The last time I caught you fixing up the Dreigon, it was in the late hours of the night, and you were injured then, too.I don't think I'll ever understand you."

Brad stepped toward Izumi, extending a hand as he offered to help her to her feet.She accepted it by reaching up and clamping her fingers around his palm, "Thanks."

As Izumi began pulling herself up, Brad stumbled forward, and the woman's quick reflexes prompted her to reach around his chest in an attempt to catch him.His weight sent them both to the floor, and they found themselves in the same awkward position as they had that other night.They stared at each other for a long time, neither deciding to move as their breathing slowed and they grew more relaxed.Brad closed his eyes as he chuckled, "You think Bit is gonna walk in any time now?"

"Maybe."

The two were quiet once more as they continued to lay in their odd positioning, Izumi now unbothered by Brad's weight, and Brad undaunted by the slow heaving of Izumi's chest, feeling hers pressing against his ever so often.Now, he could only see her face, and the calm expression eased his own worries.He didn't open his eyes again as he lowered his head until his lips were beside her ear, and he could feel her taking one deep breath before letting it out in a heavy sigh.Everything was so perfect now.It probably wasn't anything like the day Izumi remembered, but to Brad, this was perfection.This woman…

"What about Naomi?"

Surprisingly enough, the name Izumi mentioned didn't come down like a load of bricks over his head.Instead, he found himself regarding it with a steady state of mind, turning the name over and over in his head.Even then, he could see only Izumi's face, and he found that the name "Naomi" didn't have the same effect as it once had, as it had had before the name "Izumi" developed a sense of meaning to him.

"I'll tell her in the morning…"

And he lifted his head as he pushed himself off of her, pausing as his lips hovered over her cheek so he could plant a soft, lingering kiss over the cool flesh.At this contact, he suddenly remembered the night and how dark it was.Her skin reminded him of the night because both were so cold.No, they were different.He could feel faint warmth emanating from her, somewhere inside where she kept her emotions locked in a wooden box to which there was no key.She didn't wear them – her emotions – on her sleeve as many preferred to do, but they were present.He knew it now.

Izumi closed her eyes as she cocked her head toward him, finding a comforting bliss in this simple gesture.She was safe again, after all this time.

_ _

_If only you could see the world, Shiro…_

_See it as it truly is…  
_


	10. Eden Found

Note from the author:  Ah, at last, the tenth and final chapter to my Zoid fanfic.  I hope people can read the ending, because I'm actually very proud of it!  Ten points if you can guess which anime I'm alluding to at the beginning of this chapter with Shiro's wistful rambling (hint: has something to do with deep space planet gun action!!  … and it features my absolute favorite manga/anime bishounen); and another ten points if you guess the one I'm alluding end of this chapter (hint: it's got something to do with cigarettes, yaoi, and the ever handsome Katze).

Disclaimer:  You know how this goes.  To hell with such reminders.  I've got them down on the previous 9 chapters already!  

**Eden: Found**

                "Stigma?"

                Stoller lifted his head and found himself seated in an uncomfortably hard chair beside Shiro's bed, hunched over so his elbows were resting over the edge.  He was still in uniform with his overcoat tossed over his shoulders in a careless manner.  Shiro was lying under the bed sheet, staring up at the bleak ceiling of her room.

                "Shiro, you're awake…"

                "At long last.  I wake up from my dream to enter this living nightmare."

                Stigma pulled his seat closer to her bed, straightening slightly as he reached under the sheets to grasp her hand, squeezing it lightly, "Shiro, what happened to you out there?  Please, tell me so that I may be able to help you."  

                "Stigma."

                "Yes?"

                "Take off your gloves."

                A blink, but he complied by slowly removing the gloves over his hands, tugging at the tip of every finger before pulling each one off and stuffing them into the inside pocket of his coat.  Shiro's hands came forward to grasp his right and she drew it close, nuzzling the rough surface skin against her cheek as she curled tightly along the edge of the bed.  Stigma leaned down again, stopping when his dry lips came to rest over her forehead.  He barely had to pull away in order to speak, and his voice came in a soft yet hoarse whisper, "Shiro…  Shiro, I love you."  

                The response he got was an incoherent groan as the woman tightened her hands over his, caressing it within her grasp.  It was rough, his skin, despite the fact that he always wore gloves.  Maybe he'd taken up the habit too late in his lifetime, and by the time he realized his work, along with age, was taking its toll on his hands, it was too late to save them.  Now he wore gloves to conceal their ugliness, but Shiro held his right hand as if it were the most wonderful thing.  She was younger than him by thirty or so years, give or take a couple, and yet here she was plagued by demons the Backdraft had placed in her head.  He could feel tears welling up in his eyes, and he pushed away his thoughts in order to prevent them from flowing down his face.

                "Stigma."

                "I enjoy listening to the way my name sounds when you say it…"

                "Then remind me to say it more often, Captain."

                "Shiro…"

                Shiro smiled then, and her smile brought a sense of reassurance to the captain, "You're a tease."  The lieutenant nodded in return, "I know."  She lifted one hand from his as she rolled onto her back, "I want everything to be perfect again, Stigma.  I want to be with you, to be in a place where there is only you, and perhaps Izumi and her new friends…"

                "Izumi and the Blitz Team?"

                "They dubbed me a genius when I was too young to know anything, and Izumi was just the brawn.  They were so wrong, Stigma…  She escaped and she's freed herself since then…  I'm still here.  I'm going to be spending the rest of my days in this miserable place!"  

                As Shiro lurched into a sitting position, Stigma lunged forward to catch her in his arms, squeezing her, as if the fear of losing her had reappeared all of a sudden, "I'll always be here, even in a place such as this.  Hate it if you must, but Shiro, can you hate me?  I am a part of all of this, and I was part of it before you were even born…  Do you hate me, Shiro?"

                "I could never, but I want to go back to that place.  I want to feel that happiness ignorance provided.  Stigma, let's go there together.  Let's go to our Eden… together."

                _Does Eden truly exist?_

_                Yes, but you must find it._

                The day was just like that day ten years ago, with the same blue sky and the same sea of grass, green and ripe with wildflowers.  Dreigon was her companion now, and it stood a good ten feet away, looking past the endless field, and out at the desert which lay beyond, at the range of canyons, which hid the Toros base from view.  Then, it lowered its head to peer at the flowers with a keen interest.  A few minutes later, both the Zoid and its pilot had been jolted by their idleness by a foreign object in the distance.  They stared for a moment before recognizing it to be the Shadow Fox.  Izumi fell back once more and the Dreigon returned to its examination of the flowers, its cold muzzle disappearing beneath the tall grass, only the tip of its longer horn appearing above the grass.  The Shadow Fox came up rather unexpectedly, stopping beside the larger of the two black Zoids, taking a moment to let Brad off.  It stood motionless beside the Dreigon as Brad stumbled through the meadow toward Izumi, dropping into a seated position beside her.

                "Naomi didn't sound very upset when I broke the news to her."  
                "That woman has temperance."

                "Most of the time, yeah.  But enough about her."  
                Izumi turned with a blink, in time to receive a kiss to her mouth, his lips pressing rather firmly over hers.  Her arms gave out and she was in the grass once more, with Brad partially over her, though he'd stopped himself with a hand on either side of Izumi's head, "You're pretty clumsy for a cold-hearted mercenary pilot."

                "Go to hell, Brad."

                _If I were to die and be reborn,_

_                I'd like to be reborn in a place such as this._

The hanger was empty say for the lone, white Genosaurer as it stood in its corner, silent in contemplation.  The hanger itself was dark, as the lights had been shut off to conserve energy, and the door leading out into the snow-covered landscape was closed.  Inside the cockpit of the Genosaurer were two Backdraft members – a lieutenant and her captain.  Stigma was reclined against the leather seat inside the cramped cockpit, and Shiro was seated over his lap, her back against his chest, and her head over his shoulder.  Her body was twisted in a seemingly uncomfortable position, but she couldn't care less now.  She watched in silence as Stigma reached into the inside pocket of his coat as it was spread over the floor beside the pilot's chair with his now bare hands and produced a gold band upon which a modest little diamond was mounted, "Sorry, I couldn't afford the box when I first got this, and I didn't want to go back to that jewelry store."  
                "You don't need to explain yourself, captain."

                They smiled at one another before both directed their attentions to the ring as Stigma carefully lifted Shiro's right hand, ignoring the fingerless glove as he slid the ring onto her ring finger with his other hand.  Then he held her right hand up to the dim light provided by the Zoid's monitors, and both man and woman sat in a short moment of silence while they admired the ring and everything it symbolized.

                Shiro looked toward Stigma again as he continued to dig through his pockets until he'd found a pack of cigarettes, which he flicked open with his thumb to reveal the only cigarette inside.  It was no ordinary cigarette, and they both knew it.

                "A black moon?"  

                Stigma nodded, "Yes.  It's painless…"

                "I've never smoked before."

                "And I haven't smoked in fifteen years."

                With the arm he had around Shiro's waist, Stigma brought out a lighter, and he used it to light the cigarette he put to his lips before tossing the lighter to the floor of the cockpit and taking a deep breath.  He moved the cigarette aside between two fingers so that he could release a stream of foul-smelling smoke through pursed lips.  He then raised the cigarette toward Shiro, offering it to her.  She took his hand with both of her own as Stigma guided the black moon cigarette toward her, waiting for her to catch it between her lips.  Even then, he didn't let go, and watched as she inhaled, taking the cigarette away at the right moment so she could exhale.  Shiro choked.

                "It's horrible, I know."  

                She coughed for a little bit longer, "Now what?"

                "Now we wait, beloved."

                Their breathing was steady and in sync as they lay against one another, both overcome with a sense of bliss, knowing they would be free of all tribulations their lives had brought upon them.  They could finally be together, forever.  Eventually, Shiro's head grew heavy against Stoller's shoulder, and she glanced up at him through sleepy eyes.  A reassuring hand over the back of her head eased her down against him again, and her face became partially buried against his chest, the fingers of her right hand curling over his collar bone.  Stigma undid the first two buttons of his shirt before picking his coat off of the floor and draping it over himself and his woman.  He closed his eyes with a contented smile.

                "I love you, my beautiful bride-to-be."

                His hand fell from the seat, swaying as it dangled a few inches from the floor.  The cigarette tumbled from between his chapped lips just as it was about to burn out, and came to rest over his coat, flecks of ash falling over the immaculate face of his lieutenant.  They could be together at long last, and they would never be apart again.  

                _If I were to be reborn,_

_                I'd like to be reborn in Eden._

Izumi jolted into a sitting position, her sudden movements rousing Brad as well.  She stood as abruptly as she had awakened and spun in a full circle, panicking.

                "Izumi!  What's wrong?"  Brad rose and stood beside her, reaching out to grab her shoulders.  Her muscles had grown taut all of a sudden, "Izumi!"

                Izumi blinked and gazed up at her Zoid - they both understood now.  "It was nothing, Brad.  I had a bad dream, that's all."

                She lowered her head to smile at him, assuring that all was right with the world.  Brad's facial expression eased as well as he saw her smile.  It was a comforting sight.  He drew her into her arms and offered a loving embrace.  Izumi returned it by slipping her arms around his neck, her face pressed against his shoulder.  

                "I love you, Brad Hunter."

                "And I love you, Hagime Izumi."

                _Does Eden even exist?_

_                Yes, but you must find it.  _


End file.
